Given to Fly
by Wrendsor
Summary: A date in San Francisco goes awry when Percy is kidnapped by a group of unknown men. Now, faced with a Great Prophesy that could spell out the end of the world and strange new enemies arising, Annabeth, who has always had a plan, doesn't know what to do. To make matters worse, when she finally finds her missing boyfriend, he isn't exactly the same...
1. B1: Chapter I

**A/N: Heyo! In case you can't properly read, this is a Percy Jackson/Maximum Ride crossover. It takes places after Blood of Olympus, so there will be spoilers (obviously). As for the Maximum Ride universe, I haven't decided yet when this is going to happen, but I'm leaning towards right after Max (I don't really like Dylan, so yeah). Story title is based off of the song "Given to Fly" by Pearl Jam. I highly recommend listening to it; it's awesome and utterly perfect for this fanfic. Well, that's all I have to say. Enjoy the story! Oh, and don't be shy; I'd love to hear all your thoughts and opinions. :3**

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned the rights to Percy Jackson and/or Maximum Ride, what the heck would I be doing on this site?**

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_**BOOK 1 : THE FLIGHT**_

_Flight: (noun) the ability to fly; also _

_the act of running away_

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Annabeth

**We were on a date when it happened**. I remembered the day perfectly; it was seared into my mind, taunting me endlessly with everything that I could have done differently-how I could have saved him. Everything we went through and then this happens. Sometimes, I felt as if the Fates had some sort of personal vendetta against us, or maybe we were just the old hags' best source of entertainment. Whatever the reason, I've been getting really pissed off at whatever force was keeping us from our happily ever after (because the gods knew we deserved it, a hundred times over).

It was Winter Break, the year anniversary of Percy's kidnapping (in hindsight, maybe there was some irony in this particular date), so to celebrate being together and surviving yet another war, Percy and I had decided to go out for some pizza and then to the movies like normal kids our age did. Of course, maybe after so many years of being a demigod, I should have known better than to expect normal, that would always end up jinxing it.

We made it through dinner (one large pepperoni pizza with extra olives) before a monster decided to interrupt our date. My boyfriend and I had been walking through downtown San Francisco (we'd decided to visit Camp Jupiter and my family before the holidays) and had gotten through an alleyway - Percy insisted that it was a shortcut - when we heard a familiar growl. Beside me, Percy had already uncapped Riptide and turned around. I grasped for the drakon-bone sword on my belt, then remembered that I had left it at my dad's because my step-mom had convinced me that bringing a sword on a date was not "the proper etiquette" and would be "very noticeable" even with the Mist. Now I cursed my stupidity as I was left with only a small bronze dagger that I had stowed away in my boot.

Just as I pulled the blade out of my shoe, my stormy gray eyes caught sight of the monster. It was a hulking hellhound - easily one of the biggest I've ever seen, dwarfing a one-story building - running towards us alarmingly fast. Taking a deep breath, my mind went into high gear coming up with a plan to take down the beast. I quickly took in our surroundings. We were at one end of a long, fairly vacant alley about a block away from the small pizza place we had just left and four blocks from the theatre. Percy was standing two feet in front of me, putting himself between me and the approaching black hound (being the Seaweed Brain that he was). My eyes then zeroed in on something over Percy's shoulder, and an idea formed in my head.

"Keep it occupied, I have a plan," I rushed out before reaching into my back pocket, slipping on my trusty Yankees cap, and high-tailing it to the fire escape. The ladder was eight feet above the ground, but I managed to jump and grab ahold of the last rung, pulling myself the rest of the way up (and thanking the gods for all those lava wall climbing lessons at camp). After climbing to the top of the two-story fire escape, I finally allowed myself to look down at my boyfriend.

Percy had ran forward to meet the hellhound and was now brandishing his glowing celestial bronze sword, dodging all of the oversized dog's wild attempts at biting him, and yelling childish insults at it. This only seemed to make the monster angrier, however, as the hellhound decided to swipe one of its giant paws at him. Percy saw the limb coming and moved just in time, bringing up his three-foot blade to deflect the razor-sharp claws.

The son of Poseidon then went on the offensive and slashed Riptide across its now exposed foreleg, eliciting a pained howl from the monster. _Come on, Percy, stop playing with it and get your butt over here!_ Seeming to hear my thoughts, Percy wizened up and made to stab at its side before dashing down the alley with the hellhound hot on his tail.

"Anytime now, Annabeth!" Percy huffed out. His breaths were now coming out more ragged then usual, a harsh reminder that we were, even months afterwards, still battling with the aftereffects of our trip... _down there_. Along with the intense nightmares, unexplainable new phobias, and occasional flashbacks, we had also developed asthma from inhaling the poisonous air for so long. Though it was one of the least of our problems, it was definitely one of the most annoying, especially at times like these.

Percy was almost directly below me now. I held my breath for three, two, one... and jumped. With a painful thud, my body connected with the shaggy beast and I quickly grasped handfuls of its corse fur so as to not slide off. I then swung one of my legs around so that I was straddling the monster like a horse and started to carefully shimmy my way towards its head.

By now, the hellhound had realized that it had an unwanted passenger on its back and halted its mad chase after the tasty smelling demigod. The black beast, in an attempt to dislodge me off its back, threw itself against the wall of the alleyway. An involuntary scream cut through my throat as my shoulder connected with the unforgiving brick wall, but I swallowed the pain and tightened my loosening grip on the monster's scruff.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Percy trying to distract the hellhound, running behind it and slashing at its heels. He succeeded in gaining its attention for only a second, yet that was all the opening I needed. Just as the hellhound turned to snap at the half-blood scratching up its legs, I lunged forward with my dagger and imbedded the blade into its exposed throat, effectively slicing straight through its esophagus. The monster let out a surprised yelp before exploding into yellow dust.

I had a split second to register that there was nothing supporting me anymore before falling to the ground in a graceless heap. _That probably wasn't the - ow -smartest plan I've come up with,_ I thought as I struggled to my feet while clutching my shoulder, _maybe I've been spending too much time with Seaweed Brain._ My body was still tingling in pain from the fall when I heard it.

"Um, Wise Girl, I still can't see you. Are you oka-" Percy's voice came to an abrupt stop when the muffled sound of a gun being fired filled the alleyway, along with the thud of a body hitting the ground. I turned around as quick as my throbbing body would allow to see two black-suited men dragging a body around the corner of the alley. I only caught a flash of the black hair and bright orange shirt of the slumped figure _\- Percy!_ \- before all three vanished from view.

No, no, NO! This couldn't be happening, not again! I could barely hold back the frustrated scream building in my throat as I ripped the cap off my head. _Why did everyone want to kidnap my boyfriend?!_ Shoving the baseball hat into my back pocket and tightening my grip on the small bronze knife, I started sprinting after Percy - my best friend, my lover, my everything - and his captors, but before I could take more than a few steps in their direction, something heavy knocked into me. The next second, my head hit the asphalt and everything went black.

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**The first thing that I became aware of** was the pain. It encompassed me like a fleece blanket in the desert - that is, stifling, uncomfortable, and _really_ not wanted. Trying to think through the thick soup that my mind had been reduced to, I took stock of my injuries. Left shoulder seemed to be dislocated, bad ankle slightly sprained (again), head possibly - okay, most definitely - concussed, and innumerable small cuts and bruises. _Now on to step two: what happened?_ The concussion was a physical entity, scrambling my thoughts like eggs. I couldn't remember where I was or why. Speaking of... I lifted my eyelids, my gray orbs glancing over my surroundings as they tried to focus.

"Annabeth? You okay?" My eyes trailed to the dark humanoid blob beside me.

"P'rcy?" His name was the first to come to mind.

"Uh, no. It's Nico." The voice that now introduced itself as the son of Hades responded, pounding on the growing pain in my skull. I groaned, my hand coming up to rub the bulbous lump on my forehead.

"Wha' happen'd?" I forced out; Nico frowned.

"I was at camp when Rachel IM'd me. She started raving about some dream she had, gave me some coordinates, and told me to shadow travel there. I didn't have time to ask questions." He rubbed his ring as he spoke, his dark eyes focused solely on his converse-clad feet as if they held the secret to the universe. "I got here just in time to see, um, those guys taking Percy."

My memories suddenly pieced back together: our date, the fight, Percy's capture. I gasped and sat up, which turned out to be a bad idea as my stomach rolled dangerously and my vision tunneled. "Where is he? What happened afterward?"

Nico's face became even more grim. He took a deep breath as if to brace himself. "Two hellhounds came out of nowhere; one of them knocked you out. I managed to kill them both but by then, Percy was long gone."

_Gone_. The word brought back all those feelings that had consumed me in those bleak months without my boyfriend. Why did this have to happen to _us_? Just as Percy and I were finally starting to settle into a nice routine, the world just had to throw in another curveball. Last time, he was stolen from me while I was sleeping, but this time, he was stolen from right under my nose! Maybe if I had been paying more attention to my surroundings, or maybe if I had asked to take the long way to the theatre instead, or maybe if I'd-

"Blaming yourself doesn't help, you know." Nico's voice sounded strangely muffled as my thoughts continued in their downward spiral. My fists clenched as a wave of anger rushed over me. Anger at myself for not saving the person I loved most when he needed it, anger at the two suit-clad man for taking him gods knew where, anger at the whole gods-damn world for allowing this to happen - again! Hadn't Percy been through enough? Wasn't winning two wars enough? Wasn't falling into freaking_ Tartarus _enough?!

At the mention of Tartarus, images started flashing through my mind. Percy, covered in blisters and burns, as I force-fed him fire from the Phlegethon. Percy, rotting and decaying from the Death Mist, as we trudged through hoards of monsters. Percy, sweaty and bloody, as he cut through the endless swarm of Arai. Then suddenly, Percy was gone, absent, disappeared. One moment he was there, fighting by my side, and the next he wasn't, leaving only blackness, blackness, blackness...

"Annabeth!" Nico's voice zapped me out of my trance. My entire body was quaking and tears streaked down my cheeks. I took a shaky breath before meeting his somber eyes.

The son of Hades slipped his hand into the pocket of his Aviators jacket, pulling out a square of ambrosia and silently handing it to me. Putting the small pastry in my mouth, a wave of relief crashed through my body. The taste of Sally Jackson's pecan pie danced across my taste buds, reminding me of Thanksgiving last month with her, Percy, and Paul. The happy memories worked to heal my heart as efficiently as the ambrosia was healing my body.

After the godly pastry worked its magic on me, my head became a whirlwind of thoughts. Who were the people who had kidnapped Percy? They looked humanoid, but that hardly meant much in my world, as a large amount of monsters disguised themselves as such. Also, how had they succeeded in capturing Percy? He was a son of the Big Three! Not many beings could take him on. Of course, Seaweed Brain hadn't been paying much attention, but that was beside the point. I had heard a gun shot going off right before the two had grabbed him, and since there was no blood on the ground, I could only assume that it was a tranquilizer gun. Which would mean that they were mortals, because monsters would never resort to such a thing. This, however, brought up another important question: _why_? What would a couple of humans want with the son of Poseidon?

"So, what are we going to do?" Nico asked, shifting his weight from one foot to another and looking rather awkward. His question brought my head grinding to a halt. Yes, what were we going to do? I pushed my emotions down deep inside of me. Now was not the time to break down; now was the time for action. And we had to act fast, before it was too late.

Athena always had a plan, and I, being her daughter, would be no different. Wiping the wetness off of my cheeks and straightening my shoulders, I said, "First, we should go to my house and to Camp Jupiter to inform everyone about what has happened. Then we should go back to camp." The plan must have sounded good to Nico, because he nodded in agreement before holding out his arm.

"What's your address?" After I told him where my family lived, I grabbed his proffered arm, and the shadows consumed us.


	2. B1: Chapter II

**A/N: Hello, fellow fanfiction readers! Thanks for deciding to continue reading this little crossover story my twisted mind came up with. For your dedication, I'll gift you with Percy's POV. Hopefully I did him justice. Enjoy!**

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Perseus

**When I finally came to,** my first thought was, _"Ow..."_ This also happened to be my second thought, and my third, and my - well, you get the picture. It felt like I had been run over by a truck - or a Laistrygonian (not the most pleasant experience). My head was reduced to a pile of mashed potatoes, and my mouth was full of cotton. When I could finally piece the shattered puzzle of my mind back together, my next thought was: _What the Hades happened?!_

I could clearly remember arriving in San Francisco with my girlfriend in the morning via Hellhound Express. After a quick visit to Camp Jupiter to drop off our stuff and say "hey" to our Roman friends, we had had a quick picnic lunch with Annabeth's family before deciding to spend the rest of the day like normal teenage delinquents our age did: a date.

We had gotten some awesome pizza and were walking to the movie theatre to watch one of the new movies that had recently come out that Annabeth was dying to see when...a dog attacked? No, that wasn't right...It was a hellhound! Yeah, that was it. A huge one too - probably could've eaten Mrs. O'Leary for breakfast (and that's saying something). I had distracted it while Annabeth did her daughter of Athena thing to come up with an amazing plan to finally kill the beast...and then what? I tried to surf through my memories to see what had happened next, but my mind remained steadfastly blank (the stubborn bastard). A tidal wave of nausea swept over me, causing me to groan - migraines were no fun.

"Oh, good. You're finally awake." The sudden voice made me wrench open my eyes, which I regretted, as I was immediately assaulted with enough light to blind a god. If the situation was any different, I might've hissed and shielded my eyes with my elbow like a vampire (or Nico in the morning), but because I had no idea where I was or who was talking to me, that reaction would probably not have gotten me any brownie points, especially if my captor was someone who wanted to kill me.

_Pfft, and Annabeth accused me of not thinking things through_.

Oh, and there was that little fact that my arms were currently restrained, so there was that too. I pulled on the thick bindings, but my strength was no match for the stainless steel cuffs secured around my wrists and ankles.

After giving myself a quick pep talk, I opened my eyes - slowly this time. I was greeted with a beautiful, idyllic (Paul would be so proud with my use of one of his vocab words)...white ceiling. My brow furrowed in confusion. I had expected, well... Okay, I didn't know what I was expecting: torture dungeon, underground cave, my apartment? Well, the last one was probably my wishful thinking - I mean, It wasn't like I lived on the other side of the country or anything (note the sarcasm) -, but the point was that a completely white room was definitely _not_ where I expected to be. So, when I found out that was exactly where I had been for who knew how long, my mind froze.

"Hmm," the voice hummed, "You seem to be enjoying your accommodations." It sounded haughty and aloof. My head turned to face the owner of the voice, but when I finally caught a glimpse of the figure to my left, the gears in my head grounded to a halt.

_Annabeth?_

I internally shook myself. The woman didn't even look like my girlfriend. Instead of Annabeth's golden princess curls, her hair was stick-straight and nearly white. It was pulled back in a tight, professional ponytail that made her angular features even sharper. The nose was wrong too; it was too small and pointy. Her chin was also a bit longer, her eyebrows were plucked to almost nonexistence, and she looked a couple years older. The most notable difference, though, were her eyes. They were slanted, resembling a cat's, and were the color of cold, hard steel. All in all, she looked like a woman who would lose no sleep after murdering someone - might even take pleasure in it.

She quirked one of her non-eyebrows at me, as if urging me to speak. I narrowed my eyes at her but readily obliged. "Where am I?" My voice was scratchy, and I desperately needed some water. This brought forth the question of how long I'd been knocked out for. Was Annabeth worried? Was she even okay? Hopefully whoever - or whatever - grabbed me hadn't gotten her. I then remembered that she'd had her invisibility cap on, so maybe she did escape being captured. I could only hope that-

A disdainful sigh brought me out of my trailing thoughts. "You could have asked any question, and you go with that? '_Where am I?'_" She huffed, "Obviously, you are currently restrained in an undisclosed location inside this white containment room. Of course, you could have been more specific, such as, 'What city am I in?' or 'What is building this called?' Your question, however, was just too vague, allowing multiple interpretations of it."

I gritted my teeth; it was like getting a lecture from Athena, the owl-brained goddess of wisdom and my girlfriend's mother. Swallowing a smart-ass remark, I opted for one that might not end with me getting tortured or otherwise. "So, who are you?" Then I remembered her rant and quickly added, "I mean, what's your name?"

"That is slightly better, I guess. My name is Margaretta Lavelle, though what use that information will be to you, I don't know." At least she was willing to talk; I decided to push my luck.

"So, Mags,-"

"Don't call me that."

"What can I call you then? Margie? Madge? Or are you more of the Peggy type? I've always wondered where they got Peggy from Margaret. I mean, Peggy starts with a 'P' and-"

"You can call me by my name or Mette, nothing else." Her thin lips were now stretched into a predominant scowl. I had to hold back the smirk that was fighting its way to my face.

"Mette. Hmm, that's a new one for me, but I like it. So, Mette, can you please inform me why you had to crash my date - which is really rude, by the way - and then kidnap me and lock me up in some hospital room?" I knew it wasn't a hospital room, but it had the same feeling - cold, impersonal, clinical. I also knew that I was starting to annoy Mette, but I couldn't really help that. My ADHD was not happy to have me lay still for so long; it felt like ants were crawling up my skin, and I kept fidgeting on the metal bed I was strapped on. Plus, annoying the crazy lady was payback for her ruining my perfectly awesome day.

I got a pointed glare in response. The steel in Mette's eyes visibly hardened until even Riptide wouldn't be able to cut through that metal gaze. She adjusted the collar of her white lab coat (would it kill someone to put some _color_ in this place?) before replying, "I didn't kidnap you. However, the... _company_ that I work for did."

My mind was a hurricane, whirling a mile a minute. Did she say company? What did she mean by that? Her brief pause didn't go unnoticed, either. Maybe she was lying? But the question was, how much was she lying about? Ugh, I wished Annabeth was with me, at least she would have been able to read this woman. Actually, no. I was glad my Wise Girl wasn't strapped down in this room with me and this psychopath. I didn't know what I would have done if she'd gotten kidnapped too.

Before my mind could wander too far, I quickly abandoned my line of thinking for a new one. "Fine. What does this _company_ want with me, then?"

A glint suddenly appeared in those calculating, metallic eyes. I'd faced gods, titans, giants - heck, I'd even faced Tartarus himself! - but when I saw that glint, fear sliced through me. "Well, Perseus, isn't that the _real _question to ask?" As a smile twisted itself upon her face, I came to a realization: I had never told her my name.

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**A/N: Whelp, that was ominous! Sorry for ending it there? But not really? Idk if you'd count this as a cliffhanger or not. **

**Anywho, next chapter we get to see Annabeth again. Any comments are well appreciated! Seriously, they make me really happy. They're better than blue cookies.**

**Also, if you feel that any characters are OOC please tell me why you think so. I'll either try to fix said character or explain why they acted the way they did. I haven't really read any of these books recently besides Blood of Olympus - which I found extremely un satisfying by the way. Like seriously, it was the last book; it should have had all of the Seven's POVs, not just three of them. It made the other four sidelined. Plus, there was no exploration of Percy's dark side that showed up in HoH (which I thought was an interesting character development that could have been cool to explore)****, and no Sally/Percy reunion, and - okay, I'm just gonna stop my rantthere, or I'll never finish this.**

**That's everything I have to say for now, I think. See you next week (or whenever I decide to update)!**

**~Wrendsor**


	3. B1: Chapter III

**A/N: Bonjour, mes amis! I know I said this would be coming next week, but I got sick and consequently had a lot of free time on my hands. So as a result, you're getting this early. The next updates probably won't be as quick, so enjoy it. XD**

**I think I'm gonna have this story be in first person for Percy, Annabeth, and Max (who will be joining us in a couple chapters, along with the rest of the flock). Anything else will be labelled as third person, as you'll soon see.**

**Anyway, don't wanna keep you waiting for long, so here ya go...**

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Annabeth

**Silence rang in my ears.** Funny how the absence of all sound could create a sound itself. Of course, the ringing was just caused by the ears straining to hear something and reacting to wind blowing on the minuscule hairs in the inner ears, but - okay, I needed to focus.

My mind was still reeling from the events of today (probably why my thoughts kept wandering). I had spent the rest of the afternoon breaking the news to my family and Camp Jupiter that Percy had been kidnapped by unknown strangers. No one had taken it very well, understandably.

Now, I was standing in front of the ping pong table that served as the Camp Half-blood head councillors' meeting place. As soon as the words had passed my lips that Percy had been taken once again, all noise had cut off abruptly. Even Leo had stopped fidgeting with his helicopter made out of pencils and pipe cleaners to gape at me.

Now, my gaze travelled around the room. Jason appeared to be shocked (literally, sparks were flying off of him and his hair stood on end), Piper had a look of deep concern on her face, Leo's nose caught fire, Butch's face drained of all color, and even Clovis's normally drooping eyes were now bulging out of his head. Chiron, who I had informed previously, and Nico were the only ones not blindsided by the news so had time to mask their emotions. Clarisse, for her part, looked outraged.

The daughter of war huffed, "What did Prissy get himself into this time?" Normally I would have reprimanded her for a comment like that, but instead I just glanced somewhat thankfully at her. The silence had been getting uncomfortable; everyone's stares had me shifting on my feet.

"I'm not sure who took him or why. Though their guns would suggest that they were mortal, at least partially." Everyone looked taken aback by this revelation.

"So, you're saying that either demigods took him or regular old humans did?" Miranda Gardiner, head of the Demeter Cabin while Katie was at school, asked me, raising a brown eyebrow. I nodded in affirmation.

"What I'm wondering is how Percy could be taken down by a mortal, with all his cool Aquaman powers and stuff," Leo piped up. I shot daggers at him, my temper flaring.

"We were sort of preoccupied with fighting off a rogue hellhound, Valdez, and as I mentioned before, they had guns that were filled with tranqs." I was nearly growling; Leo held his hands up in surrender. "Once I had finally realized he was gone, two more hellhounds had appeared and-"

"Enter Nico," interrupted Will Solace. Nico sent him a death glare, but the son of Apollo just winked at him.

"Yes, Nico arrived and helped me defeat the rest of the monsters. When we were done, he was long gone." I swallowed the feelings that were trying to rise up - the anger, desperation, and complete loneliness that filled me when _he_ wasn't around. I would deal with the emotions later, after we had a plan to rescue my Seaweed Brain.

Jason cleared his throat, getting my attention. "Is it possible that the monsters were some sort of trap? It couldn't have been a coincidence, right?" I contemplated this before speaking.

"I guess so. Although hellhounds wouldn't be the best monster to use for a trap - too unpredictable -, I do see your point." I nodded at him; he smiled back reassuringly.

"What about the Romans?" Connor Stoll asked, absentmindedly twirling a pencil stolen from Leo's hand-made helicopter.

"Yeah, you were in Cali, right? Do they know?" His older brother, Travis, added.

Their question brought me back a couple hours ago when Nico and I had arrived at Camp Jupiter after a quick visit to my family's house. We had found Reyna and Frank dressed in their praetor robes talking with a fully armed Hazel, fresh from the war games. Hazel had been the first to spot us.

"Nico! Annabeth!" She had exclaimed, before enveloping both of us into a big hug. Frank had been content with a simple friendly wave. Reyna, on the other hand, had frowned, her eyebrows coming together in confusion.

"Where's Percy?" As soon as those words had left her mouth, my entire face crumbled. Hazel and Frank's smiles had immediately vanished.

"Annabeth? Weren't you guys on a date?" Hazel's voice had been trembling. My throat dried up and all coherent thought left me. Luckily, Nico had been there to back me up.

"Someone's taken him." His voice had sounded grave. Hazel's hand flew to her mouth, Frank stumbled in surprise, and Reyna's face became stoney.

"We need to call a Senate meeting." Reyna had gritted out. The next hour was a big blur. The Romans hadn't taken the capture of their former praetor very well. There had been shouting, crying, and looks of utter disbelief before Reyna could calm everyone down enough to formulate a plan.

Now, I nodded in confirmation to the Stoll brothers, but Nico saved me from speaking once again. "Frank and my sister are leading a search party. They, along with some of Lupa's wolves and the fifth cohort, have California covered. Since Percy disappeared while in San Fran, there's a good chance he's still around there."

After the son of the underworld finished speaking, the head councillors looked somewhat more calmed down - though that could have been because of Piper's quiet reassurances to them that everything was going to be fine. We had a place to start looking, unlike the last time when he just disappeared in the middle of the night. The mood around the table changed from somber to hopeful.

Chiron took this as his chance to speak up. "The news of young Perseus's kidnapping is very disheartening. His capture at the hands of mortals is...foreboding, to say the least." The centaur spoke in a grim tone. Though his face remained neutral, I could see worry and apprehension in his centuries-old eyes. "However, with both camps newly united and stronger than ever, I have no doubt that we will soon rescue him."

Chiron ended his speech and stomped his horse hoof twice; everyone took this as their cue to leave and stood up, many of them gave me sympathetic looks as they passed by. Over the last few months, I had gotten very used to those. After all, every camper knew of Percy and my little trip _downstairs_, and they had all seen the aftermath of said trip themselves. It was the reason why we refused to eat spicy food (too much like the Phlegethon); and the reason why I couldn't stand to be alone for more than a couple of minutes (Calypso's curse still haunted me); and the reason why no one dared to sneak up on Percy anymore (someone nearly got impaled the first time); and most of all, it was the reason why the gods had allowed me to sleep in cabin three (after the third time Percy nearly drowned the camp during a nightmare, they finally gave in).

I couldn't blame anyone for their pitying looks, as much as I hated them. I mean, how do you approach two PTSD demigods who had literally gone through hell? It did make for some pretty awkward conversations. Like, "So, how was your summer?" "Oh, you know, I just went on a quest to save the world, fell into Tartarus, and defeated the primordial goddess of the earth; nothing big. You?" Yeah, that wouldn't send people running in the opposite direction, not at all.

As Chiron was telling people to keep quiet about the news until he announced it at dinner, I pulled Lou Ellen aside. Seeing us, Piper also stayed by me, shooing her boyfriend towards the others as they filed out. When the door finally shut behind him, the daughter of Hecate spoke up.

"Yes, Annabeth?" She questioned. From the look on her face, I guessed that Piper was also wondering what I wanted.

"Grover and Percy still have their empathy link from a couple of years ago. Last time, we couldn't find Percy through it because Hera was blocking it."

Lou Ellen nodded, her dark curls bouncing slightly as she did so. "I figured. But what does this have to do with me?"

"Would it be possible for you to create a spell of some sort to amplify the link so that Grover could locate him?" Her eyebrows creased as she contemplated this.

"I can probably think of something, but I might need my siblings' help."

"That's great. I think Grover is in the woods with Juniper, if you need him."

"Okay, I'll get right on it, Annabeth." Lou Ellen waved a small goodbye before taking her leave.

Once the daughter of magic was out of eyesight, I slumped into the nearest chair. As my facade dropped, my eyes slid shut and hid behind my hands. What was I going to do? At this very moment, Percy could be getting tortured or worse, and here I was doing nothing. I still needed to break the news to his mother. Oh, how was Sally going to react to her son's second kidnapping in a year? And what about Poseidon? The gods were most likely already aware of what transpired down in that alley, and if the weather outside of camp was anything to go by, they were not happy. So, a visit to Olympus was probably in order.

I felt like ripping my hair out, like screaming until my throat bled, like destroying an entire army of monsters. Was this what Percy had felt down in Tartarus, when Misery had been about to drown me in poison, and he had just snapped? If so, then I could empathize - it felt like I would shatter at any moment.

Suddenly, a hand lightly touched my shoulder. I peeked my stormy eyes through my fingers to meet Piper's kaleidoscope ones. "Don't worry, Annabeth, we'll bring Percy back. We found him last time, didn't we?"

Piper's words sent a wave of serenity through me; I gave her a grateful look that she returned with a sweet smile. However, in the back of my mind, an uneasiness settled. I didn't doubt that we would be able to find Percy. I just wondered how much would be left of him when we finally did.

* * *

Third Person

**_This was not good,_** Chiron thought as he lowered himself into his wheelchair, his horse-end slowly disappearing into the magical contraption. Once he was finally settled, he rolled behind the desk in his office. _Not good at all._

The centaur rubbed his temples, feeling all the weight of his hundreds of years of living resting on his shoulders. It was a crushing weight to carry, like the entire sky was pressing down on him. This thought, however, only seemed to make the load heavier. He could clearly remember the time when the son of Poseidon had to bare the Curse of Atlas when the boy had just reached his teenage years. It took an enormous amount of will-power and determination to hold up Ouranos; many a man would have crumbled under the great burden. And yet, young Percy Jackson had voluntarily taken it to save the male-hating goddess, Artemis, and his friend.

Now, said demigod was captured by a new, unknown enemy. The queen of the gods wasn't responsible for his disappearance this time around. At least when it had been Hera's doing, Percy was relatively save in his deep slumber. This time, however, he could be in grave danger, and no one would ever realize it until Grover suddenly went into a coma.

Chiron sighed, one of his hands sliding down his face to stroke his beard while the other clenched the oak desk in front of him in a white-knuckled grip. His wise eyes trailed to the opposite wall; it was filled with pictures of his favorite students over the many years. Two of the pictures stood out to him.

The first was taken a little over a year ago. On it were Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase a week after the Second Titan War. The daughter of Athena was frozen mid-laugh, unaware of the picture being taken. The son of Poseidon, on the other hand, had an arm draped across her shoulders and his signature trouble-maker grin on his face, obviously the reason behind Annabeth's laughter. His sea-green eyes were fixed on her like she was his entire world (which she probably was). They both looked carefree and happy. To them, they had just defeated the Titan Lord Kronos, survived a war, and finally realized their feelings about each other. To them, they had a whole prophesy-free future ahead of them.

The picture beside it was the newest addition to the wall, taken only a few months previously. This one featured the Seven of the Prophesy, all standing in front of the Athena Parthenos that was now positioned in the center of Camp Half-blood. On the right, Leo had an impish smile on his face and his scrawny arms thrown across Jason's and Piper's necks, putting bunny ears behind the head of the latter. The daughter of Aphrodite, for her part, was shoving an elbow into his side, while her boyfriend was laughing at the two's antics. On the left side of the picture, Frank and Hazel were holding hands and staring at each other, their eyes shining with true joy and affection. Annabeth and Percy were in the center, making their roles as the leaders and glue to hold the group together evident. They had their arms around each other's waists, and Annabeth's head was laying on Percy's shoulder. Unlike the other five demigods, they had their eyes on the camera.

Between the two pictures, Chiron could see a big difference in the young couple. Percy and Annabeth seemed to have aged years, even though it had only been one. Their faces were more gaunt, their skin had lost some of its shine, and their eyes had an almost broken look to them. Despite all of that, the two had genuine smiles on their faces. The picture had been taken a little under two weeks after the defeat of Gaea. It was the day that Leo had finally returned with Calypso on the back of Festus the Dragon, so the entire camp had been in good spirits.

Now, as Chiron gazed at his Wall of Heroes, a knot formed in his stomach. In less than an hour, he would have to inform the rest of Camp Half-blood that Perseus had been kidnapped once again. Chaos would break out; the campers would be in pandemonium! Percy Jackson, their hero and leader, had been stolen from them for a second time. Except this time, there was no doubt that he was now in the hands of the enemy.

The immortal centaur rested his chin on a fist. It was the Winter Solstice, so all the gods had locked themselves into the throne room for their annual meeting. He had no idea what the gods knew, but he suspected that they didn't know much more than himself. After their meeting was over, Chiron planned to take a trip to the Empire State Building for a little talk with the Olympians.

The fact that someone had managed to capture one of their strongest demigods was troubling to him. It meant that there was a new, powerful enemy arising. The thought made Chiron's mood plummet even further. The demigods were still recuperating from their last war. Would they be able to handle another big fight?

_Sure, the children would do anything to bring Percy Jackson back,_ Chiron thought, _but I fear that this might be just the beginning._

* * *

**A/N: So, yeah, that's it. Hope you enjoyed reading! This chapter was interesting to write. There were a lot of characters in it. **

**Also, that first picture in Chiron's office is talked about in The Lost Hero. I didn't remember what it looked like beside the fact that it had Percy and Annabeth on it, so I just made it up. The second picture is also a product of my imagination.**

**Lastly, I wanna thank everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. Especially this who took the time to write a review. Your kind words inspire me to keep writing this. So, cookies to every one of you!**

**That's all for now. Au revoir! **

**~Wrendsor**


	4. B1: Chapter IV

**A/N: Another early chapter for you guys! Wow, I'm on a roll. Wonder how long it'll last. XD**

**Here's another Percy POV. Happy reading!**

* * *

Perseus

**They had stuck me in a dog cage.** An honest-to-gods, four feet by four feet dog cage. Oh, and I was wearing a dog collar. A freaking collar, like some pet. They better put a muzzle on me next time, or I might just bite some fingers off.

_Why not just slash into them with your awesome, badass, monster-killing sword, Percy?_

Good question. The answer: apparently someone had felt like playing dress up with me while I was knocked out. Instead of the dark jeans and camp shirt I'd originally been wearing, I was now clad in some starchy gray sweatpants with no pockets and a plain white tee. They had also taken my favorite shoes - which I had worn for a multitude of quests and had become quite attached to despite them being in tatters - so I was now barefoot. At least I still had my own underwear on, thank the gods. Though, they had taken my camp necklace, making me feel completely exposed.

After the crazy lady had left the creepy hospital room, three weird, bulky guys grabbed me. I mean, I was fairly tall, but man, those dudes looked like they could take on the Hulk. They had ushered me through a labyrinth of white-walled corridors before finally coming to a large metal door. It had been bolted shut and looked like it weighed a ton, but after unlocking it, one of the men pushed it aside like a leaf.

_They had to be on steroids_.

Once the door had been opened, the guys shoved me through. I had to bite back a curse as I stumbled, leaving one of the men chuckling behind my back. Just as I had been about to enlighten them with one of Percy Jackson's Famous Witty Quips, I looked up from the grimy tile to be met with row after row of large animal crates. My eyes had grown comically wide, causing another round of laughs from the three surrounding me. I had gulped, realizing what they were planning to do. "Go on, then," one of them growled. Like, literally, growled. What were these guys?

I briefly tried to come up with some type of escape plan that didn't involve me taking on three guys who looked like they could bench press twice my weight, but I came up blank. Annabeth was always the one who came up with the plans; I was the one that screwed them up. So, seeing no other option, I put one foot in front of the other.

After walking down the long main path for about a minute or two, my escorts had finally stopped in front of a medium-sized cage near the back. One of them, the one that had chuckled behind me, bent down to unlatch it. "In you go." He leered at me.

"What? Uh, no thanks," I had protested. Apparently, that was funny to him; his strangely intimidating face had stretched into a wolffish grin. It reminded me of my month spent living with Lupa and her companions. I could almost see fangs piercing through the corner of his lips, but I shook that thought off as my wild imagination.

He had turned to his buddies. "I always like it when they refuse." Then he had reached into his pocket and brought out something that looked like a miniature remote, pushing a button on it.

The effect had been instantaneous. One second I had been standing, glaring suspiciously at the man I had deemed Chuckles, and the next, I was on my knees, clutching my neck as a current of electricity washed over me. It was like when Thalia and I had gotten into that fight over Capture the Flag all those years ago, and she'd shocked me. Except this was worse. Much worse. As I was on the ground gasping for breath, Chuckles had kicked me into the cage, latching it shut behind me.

"And that was the low setting." He had barked out. Then, they all left, their ominous laughter echoing through the bars of the dog crate.

That had been a long time ago. How long exactly? Five hours? Six? It seemed like forever ago that I was on my date with Annabeth. Annabeth... The name had my heart doing backflips in my chest. She had to be worried by now. Had she gotten away? Did she tell the camps about my kidnapping yet? Or my parents? How would any of them be able to handle another disappearance from me? Oh, Annabeth was gonna kill me when I got out of here. Wherever here was...

My thoughts were wandering all over the place. Being cooped up in a cage barely big enough to sit up in was not doing wonders for my ADHD. My claustrophobia had also decided to make its presence known. Oh, and that little fact that my dad always liked to spout off? About how the sea never liked being restrained? Yeah, totally not helping. Add those all those together, along with my growling stomach and filling bladder, and you get one unhappy Percy. And Percy is not someone you wanted to make unhappy.

_Ohhh-kay, talking about yourself in third person,_ I thought, _not a good sign._

But, I was seriously bored. If starvation didn't get me first, the boredom just might. Also, my throat was really dry, like the Sahara in the dead of summer; I couldn't even form spit in my mouth. So, scratch that, I'd die of dehydration before boredom. Where was some dam water when you needed it?

I mentally face palmed myself. Duh, son of Poseidon! I could almost hear Annabeth's teasing voice._ "Seaweed Brain." _Closing my eyes, I reached deep inside myself and called on the water around me. The familiar tugging sensation flooded my gut, but instead of the warm tickle I usually felt, it was as if I was being stabbed by a hot fire-poker. I gasped in pain and quickly let go of my powers, clutching my stomach. What was that? It was almost like someone had built a dam around the water, blocking me from using it.

Now I was starting to panic. _Deep breaths, Percy,_ I reminded myself, _deep breaths._ Now was not the time to have a Panic Attack_._ After I had found my Zen, I settled back into the bars of the cramped cage, stretching my legs as far as they would go (which wasn't very far at all). What kind of people could block my powers off like that? There was Porky back in Atlanta, but that had had a different feeling to it - more like someone beating me in an arm wrestling match than someone barring me from it altogether. How could a couple of monsters block off my godly powers, anyway? Were they even be smart enough to do that? So, monsters were out of the question then, or at least they weren't the ones running the show. God turned evil, maybe?

_That'd be just my luck, getting kidnapped by two gods in one year._

I sighed dejectedly. Help was probably not coming - not this early on in the Percy-napping anyway. And escaping on my own? Forget it. Houdini wouldn't even be able to get out of this room, much less through the maze of hallways that could put the Labyrinth to shame. So, that left only one option: waiting. Gods, I hated waiting.

* * *

**It had been two days**. At least, I thought it had been two days. I lost track somewhere around twentyish hours. My vision had gone blurry a while back, and it felt like Mrs. O'Leary was sitting on my head. My stomach had finally given up on growling after realizing that it wasn't going to get food anytime soon, and my tongue was permanently cemented to the roof of my mouth.

Side note: dehydration - not fun; I wouldn't recommend it.

Above me, the bare light bulbs spaced every ten feet or so flickered in harmony. They illuminated the space just enough for me to make out the iron crates surrounding me. From where I was sitting, the rows seemed endless. Just cage after cage after cage, like some sort of strange garden. Or a graveyard.

I huffed out the chilly air, watching as clouds of dust scattered, and wrapped my arms around my legs to conserve some type of heat. Not being able to move or straighten my legs out completely was doing a number on my muscles and joints. And my mind. Without the distraction of _move, move, move_, I was stuck alone with my head. And these days? That was not a fun place. Apparently, a stroll through monster hell was not good for your mental health. Who knew?

Many more minutes passed; the only thing to break the silence was the faint scampering of mice feet in the distance. Those lucky bastards. They didn't know how privileged they were, being able to walk around freely like that. Or move at all, really.

_Oh, wow, that was a new low. Feeling jealous of mice._

A loud bang snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned my head toward the sound at the end of the hall, only to be blinded by a bright rectangle of light. Then, the pieces clicked together in my brain. It was the door! They were opening it! As my eyes adjusted to the change in the lighting, I saw the same dudes that originally threw me in here were now walking towards me. Except, it looked like they had an extra member in their group. One of the three goons was dragging said person behind them roughly. I scowled at them. There was nothing that I wanted more than to take Riptide and show them _exactly_ how I felt about being locked in a cage and treated like a dog. It included shoving my sword where the sun don't shine. Repeatedly.

The three guys stopped abruptly at the cage cattycorner from mine, causing the fourth figure to stumble. It caught itself before falling (thankfully), but not before the naked bulb could shine down on it. I blinked. Then blinked again. The figure was a small girl, no older than ten. Her blonde hair was a rats nest, and she looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks. But that wasn't what got my attention. No, it was the patches of green scales scattered across her skin and her blue eyes that stared at me with slitted pupils. The girl even flickered a forked tongue at me, almost as if in greeting.

Before my brain could quite process what had happened, Chuckles grabbed the ten-year-old and roughly tossed her into the waiting cage. She hissed at him as he locked the door behind her, but this only caused him to, well, chuckle. I tried to speak up then, but my cracked lips couldn't seem to open. It turned out I didn't really need to talk, because they suddenly all turned their eyes to me. _Creepy_.

"Grab 'im. They want that one in Lab B-6," Chuckles told his two flunkies. Lab B-6? That didn't sound too good. Maybe it was where they played Bingo? Not that I particularly liked Bingo - too much sitting around and not enough action - but right now it sounded like Elysium compared to the stifling crate.

Dumb and Dumber grabbed me from the cage and hauled me out. Like, literally hauled. My legs were rubber from being in a cramped position for so long, and the lack of food and water was making my head spin in circles, like one of those cartoons where the chirping birds flew around the character's skull. They had to drag me the rest of the way to the lab, too. I was too focused on my mantra of "don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out," to be any help.

Because of this, I didn't realize that we'd arrived at our destination until we came to a sudden stop. I opened my eyes and quickly took in my surroundings with a practiced ease that only comes with being a paranoid demigod. The so-called Lab B-6 looked like a strange mix between a mad scientist's laboratory and a training gym. So sadly, no Bingo. Or food. Yes, food would be awesome right now. What I would do for a double bacon cheeseburger and milkshake...

"Is this Subject 17?" A short man with salt-and-pepper hair asked, peering up from his clipboard at Chuckles and Co.

_Wait, did he say Subject_? I made an indignant sound in my throat, but it went ignored.

"Yes, it is. Now get on with your testing. I don't like waiting." Chuckles growled. Oh great, tests. I didn't even get to study.

The man nodded and nervously tugged at the sleeve of his white-coat before signaling to two more white-coated people. His brown eyes then shifted to my green ones, the expression on his face changing from one of fear to thinly veiled curiosity and excitement. For some reason, his stare gave me a bad feeling.

Then it hit me (I blame dehydration for not realizing it sooner). These people were completely, one hundred percent mortal. This sudden revelation had me more confused then ever. What would a couple of insane humans want with me? I sighed inwardly. It would be just my luck to be randomly kidnapped off the streets by some crazy mad scientists.

"Get it ready for the first endurance test." The clipboard guy said to the other two whitecoats. Seriously, again with the 'it'? They did realize that I was a guy, right? I mean, it was pretty obvious.

I was brought out of my thoughts as something cold touched my arm. When I glanced over, I saw that one of the crazies - a middle-aged Asian woman with chin length hair - was placing weird, wire-looking things on my skin. What were they called again? Electrodes? The other whitecoat - this one a ginger guy with a face full of freckles - was doing the same thing to the left side of my body. I was handling it fine, that is, until they reached to lift up my shirt.

_Okay, nope, not happening_. My cheeks flushed as I tried to preserve some of my dignity, but Freckles just restrained my arms to allow the lady to put the electrodes on my bare chest and stomach. Now my cheeks were as red as Freckles's hair. I wasn't a prude or anything, but after sustaining so many scars over the years, I was always hesitant to take off my clothes in front of anyone. Not that I was embarrassed of them or anything, but it did raise a lot of questions during gym class that I couldn't really answer. After all, it's not like any of my classmates would believe my if I told them that they were from battling monsters. Plus, this lady was older than my mom; she was_ not _supposed to be touching me like that without permission, even if she was _supposedly_ a doctor.

After another humiliating minute of being poked and prodded, the scientists finally lowered my shirt and backed up. I silently thanked the gods they didn't touch my pants. My gratefulness didn't last long, however, as I was suddenly shoved from behind.

"Start moving, scum," the growling voice of Chuckles said. I resisted the urge to punch him, seeing as I could barely stand on my own and would probably miss him by about ten feet. Instead, I resorted to throwing him my wolf glare before shuffling forward. His only response was to shove me again harder.

After we had gone about five yards, he yanked me to a rough stop in front of a treadmill-looking thing. "Get on it."

My jaw dropped. "What?" The word ripped through my dry throat, sounding no louder than a whisper. The corner of his lips turned up, and this time, I knew that the fangs were not just my hyperactive imagination.

"Get on, or I'll make you." I set my jaw firmly, but when his hand started drifting towards his pocket, I got on the treadmill. Yes, I was arguably one of the most rebellious, powerful demigods on the planet, but did I want to be shocked within an inch of my life again? No thank you.

Then, the machine turned on. I don't know what I was expecting. I mean, people hooked me up to some wires and shoved me on a treadmill; now I wonder what they wanted me to do? But seriously, how did they expect me - who had been starved, dehydrated, and left in a cage for two days - to be able to run? I balked at the idea of moving my feet another inch, much less another mile.

Suddenly, pain flared up my side and through the rest of my body. I gasped and jumped slightly, looking down at my ribs. The previously white shirt now had a smoking hole on it to reveal my raw flesh underneath. Turning my head, I saw Chuckles standing there with a cattle prod in his hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Start running." Call me a coward, but I ran.

* * *

**A/N: I felt evil writing this chapter. First Percy falls into hell and now he's being experimented on my psycho scientists? This isn't even the worst of it yet. Sorry, Percy!**

**Oh, and if you wanna hear from any of your favorite characters, just ask and I might write something from their POV. I already have one planned for the Olympains, Hazel/Frank, and possibly Piper, but I'll take any other requests too. Also, if you feel at any time that the characters are OOC, please tell me! I like constructive criticism too, or any of your ideas, or anything really. Like seriously, even if the review is just one word, it still makes me really excited and happy for the rest of the day that you took the time to write anything. :3**

**Anyways, that's all for now. Adios! **

**~Wrendsor**


	5. B1: Chapter V

**A/N: Hello again, people. Here's another chapter written by yours truly. Sorry that it's shorter than my other ones, but I'll make up for it in the next one. ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I am not Rick Riordan or James Patterson. Yes, I know, shocking, right? Anyway, now to the fan fiction.**

* * *

Perseus

**My lungs were on fire. **And trust me, I knew the feeling all too well: I once had to drink liquid fire to survive. Sweat dripped down my face in rivers, stinging my eyes and cracked lips. My legs moved mechanically, like one of Leo's drones._ Left, right, left, right, left, right. _No matter how much air I sucked in, it wasn't enough; I must've looked like a fish out of water, trying desperately to breathe oxygen even though gills didn't work that way.

How long had I been running? Time ceased to mean anything as my bare feet thumped in an endless rhythm against the treadmill. It was like being under Kronos's curse again, my movements turning sluggish while the world slowed down around me. At this point, I don't now how I've kept going; I had (literally) run out of steam after the first couple minutes. The only thing that kept me from collapsing in exhaustion was the cattle prod that was jammed into my back every time I slowed down.

It reminded me of one of Annabeth's lectures. An object in motion stays in motion, or something like that. I really wished that rule didn't apply to me at the moment, because right now, all I wanted to do was rest for about ten years.

_Note to self: I am _never_ joining Track._

A jolt suddenly travelled through me as the electric stick prodded my back again, causing me to stumble. My vision tunneled and nausea drowned me. I scrambled to regain my balance, but I couldn't tell whether up was down or right was left. My body crashed to the floor, causing some of the electrodes to be ripped off of my skin painfully. I still couldn't seem to fill my lungs with air; instead, it was almost as if the oxygen was being sucked out of me with every gasping breath.

"Get up!" An angry voice yelled, but it sounded like I was listening to it from the opposite end of a tunnel.

My brow furrowed in confusion. Why would I get up? The ground was so nice, so...comfy. Maybe I could just rest here. Yeah, that sounded good... Vaguely, I was aware of the cattle prod shocking me another time, but the pain was already drifting away as unconsciousness pulled me under its dark abyss.

* * *

Third Person

**As the three Erasers were dragging** an unconscious Subject 17 back to his cage, a group of nine scientists gathered around his test results in the adjoining observation room.

"Remarkable, absolutely remarkable!"

"It ran for a full hour!"

"After 48 hours with no food or drink, how could this be possible?"

"We haven't mutated it, and yet it still measures above the human capacity."

"It has asthma, though. Do we have any experimental cures for that in the making?"

"Just imagine what it would be able to do at full health!"

"If I could just get a little brain tissue sample..."

When the doors swung open, a sudden hush swept through the whitecoats. The woman that entered was the head of the new branch of the School. She was relatively young - only twenty-three - yet she had somehow managed to scratch and claw her way up to the top. However, no one would ever think to undermine her authority; she was known for being cunning and manipulative. If anyone tried to cross her, they'd find themselves in a black body bag the next morning. That being said, the scientists were always careful around her, trying not to step on her toes.

"Dr. Lavelle," a short scientist clutching a clipboard greeted her, pushing a pair of wire speckles further up his long nose. Margaretta Lavelle turned her intense eyes on the man, folding her hands behind her back and giving him a firm nod to proceed. He nervously cleared his throat before reading off the results on his clipboard.

"Subject 17. Gender: male, age: 17, height: 6 feet, weight: 148 pounds, ethnicity: Mediterranean. The subject has intensive scarring covering the majority of its body, most of which looks to be from knives and animal claws, though there is one through its chest from an arrow, and many others that are unexplainable. Also, the blood test results came back corrupted, so we will have to draw more blood and test it manually under a microscope." His eyes flickered to see what Dr. Lavelle's reaction would be to that, but her face remained emotionless, her slate gray eyes zeroed on him like a laser beam.

He nervously continued, "However, the recent results of the endurance test have been quite informative. After a full two days of confinement with no nourishment, Subject 17 was able to run for 68 minutes with an average speed of 7.4mph. Though, its breathing was erratic, due to some mild asthma."

Once the man finished the report, he handed the clipboard to his boss and scuttled back to merge with the rest of the whitecoats. Mette glanced at the clipboard to examine the information, nodding every once in awhile as she read. After another minute, she addressed her underlings.

"I want an EEG scan while it's still unconscious. And bring the blood sample to my office, as you are so incompetent." She glared daggers at the small crowd in front of her, and they shuffled on their feet, trying to look anywhere but her eyes. "Subject 17's next three tests are to be resourcefulness, strength, and reflexes, in that order."

Mette then turned on her heel and walked back through the observation room's doors, clipboard in hand. Her black, high-heeled shoes tapped against the hard tiles as she headed back towards her office at a brisk pace.

Thoughts swirled around in her mind, each one clamoring for her attention. Subject 17's results surprised her; they were much higher than anyone expected, including her. She knew this was only the first test, and it would be ludicrous to make such rash assumptions so early on, but she now had very high expectations for her subject. He had shown a remarkably strong-will, great perseverance, and excellent physical ability (minus the asthma) during the endurance test. She could only imagine how well he would do in the coming experiments.

Margaretta's mind was whirling with all the possibilities. This specimen could be made into something glorious, something truly magnificent! One idea, however, stuck out amongst all the rest. Her lips curled up into a cruel smirk.

_Yes, that would be _perfect.

* * *

**A/N: Again, I apologize for the short length. Hopefully you still enjoyed it? **

**Ahh, Percy. I feel so bad for him as I'm writing this, especially with all the experiments to come... The experiment that he did in this chapter was the same one that Angel had to go through in the first Maximum Ride book, cattle prod and all. It makes me feel bad for the little six-year-old. Oh, and I'm not sure about running times and speeds or anything, so I don't know how possible Percy's results are. Oh well.**

**Also, I am sooo sorry that it's the fifth chapter with no appearance from the flock. The reason behind that is that I'm currently rereading the entire series. The last time I'd read it was in like eighth grade, so I need a refresher of what happened. I really want to keep them in character, so reading the books again was needed. I'm on the third book so far, so it shouldn't take me very long. The next chapter will definitely be from Max's POV, though.**

**A little side note for everyone: if you have any ideas of what you want for the flock, please tell me. It's gonna be awhile until they meet up with everyone because Percy is gonna be in the School for some time, but I don't wanna just shove them in a corner to collect dust. So, please send ideas my way, thanks!**

**Until next time, mes amies.**

**~Wrendsor**


	6. B1: Chapter VI

** A/N: Did you know that it's possible to read two Maximum Ride books in one day (and a school day no less)? Well, I do now. After rereading the MR series, I have a much firmer plot line now, so that's awesome. **

**Anyway, as per the many requests, here's Max and the gang. **

* * *

Maximum

**Flying is the most exhilarating**, breathtaking, liberating experience in the entire world. The sun beating down on your back, gliding along a warm thermal air current, the strong muscles in your wings beating so powerfully that it feels like nothing could ever stop you... Yes, I said wings. And no, I don't mean on an airplane or one of those hang-glider things. I mean fourteen foot, feathery, brown and white Bird of Prey wings attached to my back.

Let me introduce myself: my name is Maximum Ride, and I'm just your average teenage recombinant life form. My life story is long, riveting, and down right terrifying at times, so I'm not gonna go into much detail. Trust me, if I did, it would take an entire book series. Basically, I grew up in a dog crate and was tested on by crazy scientists called whitecoats; a man named Jeb - who turned out to be my dad - rescued me and five other bird-kids. Jeb eventually went AWOL - assumed dead - but it turned out that he was just a traitor, and then we figured out that he was a spy working against the whitecoats. Makes your head hurt, don't it? It sure does mine.

Anyway, then a Voice in my head tasked me with saving the world. Sounds like a heavy load for a fifteen-year-old to bare, right? The flock and I had just been going around saving the planet one step at a time. First, we helped to take down Itex, the evil corporation that created mutants like us; then, we went to Antarctica to help with all the global warming problems; and recently we just put a stop to a big company that had been dumping toxic waste into the oceans surrounding Hawaii.

Now, it had been three months since we rescued my mom from the clutches of Mr. Chu. After the whole kidnapping situation with my mom, the flock and I decided to lay low for a while for some well needed R&amp;R time. So, one week later, my mother decided to enroll us all in the Lerner's School for the Gifted in Virginia, a school that the government made specifically for 'gifted' kids like us. Nudge had been ecstatic at the news. The rest of us? Not so much. But, we decided to suck it up and attend - on one condition: we wanted to live in the same house as Mom. Needless to say, everyone was pretty happy with this deal, even if we bird-kids had to be forced into uncomfortable school uniforms.

So that brings us back to the present. Me, my flock, and the clear blue sky. It was Friday evening. After a whole week's worth of some hard-core learning and waking up at an ungodly hour, we were all trying to blow off some steam. And what better way to blow off steam than flying over the Atlantic where all there is, is miles and miles of uninterrupted sea?

Around me, the flock flew in a loose formation. Fang was at my side, forever my right-wing man. His large black wings brushed up against mine every once in awhile, sending chills up my spine that had nothing to do with the brisk wind. A little behind us were Angel and Nudge, the latter talking avidly about the latest school gossip and fashion trend. Angel, for her part, nodded every once in awhile, but wasn't too interested. She was probably missing her dog, a winged, talking Scottie named Total who was away on his honeymoon with his newlywed, Akila the Malamute. Why a dog needed a honeymoon - or a wedding for that matter -, I don't know, but don't tell Total I said that. Iggy and the Gasman took up the rear of our little group, occasionally going into steep dives to see who could get the closest to the water without getting wet.

The six of us glided on the warm ocean currents for a couple more minutes before Fang turned to face me. "You see that?"

"See what?" I traced the horizon with my raptor vision. Sure enough, my eyes could just make out a small strip of green among the blue. "An island?"

"Looks like."

A smile slowly drifted to my face as I yelled to the others, "Race ya." The words had just barely left my mouth before I turned on my supernatural speed, shooting forward like a bullet. I heard a few yelped "Hey's!" before I was out of earshot, gone with the wind.

Flying was awesome at all, but flying at warp speed? It's otherworldly. Imagine the fastest roller coaster you've ever been on; then take away the seat belts, cars, and the track; and you'll get a better picture of what it's like. Tears were running down my face and my cheeks were burning, but in that moment I'd never felt more _alive._

I made it to the island way too quickly for my liking, but I angled my wings to slow my descent, coming to a running stop on the sandy beach. I was still smiling, sitting in a sunny spot on the sand, when the others finally arrived.

"Ooh, this beach is _so_ pretty, Max. Thanks! Who knew there was an island out here?" Nudge gushed as soon as her toes touched the ground. Typical.

"Well, technically it's an isle." Fang muttered, plopping himself down beside me and reaching to take my hand. I blushed, then got mad at myself for blushing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fang smirking slightly. I gave him an elbow to the rib cage, but kept my hand in his.

Iggy and Gazzy were standing near the surf, finding round seashells and seeing who could throw them the furthest. When Gazzy tried to cheat by saying that his had gone farther, Iggy shoved him into the ocean. It was early winter, so the water had to be freezing. Needless to say, I laughed. And when Gazzy resurfaced only to drag Iggy under along with him, I laughed even harder. It had been a good call changing out of our school uniforms before taking flight, or else they'd be ruined, and Mom would be majorly irritated.

Nudge sat in the sand a few feet away from Fang and I. From what it looked like, Nudge was making a sand castle. Well, trying at least. Unless her goal had been a crumbling wall of deformed sand - in which case, kudos to her! Giving up on becoming an architect, Nudge laid back and spread out her dark brown and tawny feathered wings, making sand angels. I tried to ignore the thought of how hard it was going to be getting all that sand out of her super curly hair.

Angel, unlike the others, was standing still, the small waves lapping at her toes. Her pale blonde hair blew around her head like a halo, which coupled with the serene expression on her face as she closed her eyes, made her look like her namesake. I briefly wondered what the youngest flock member was doing, until I spotted a pod of dolphins a little ways away. Oh right, mind reader. As the dolphins started jumping and doing tricks in the air, Angel let out a tinkling, little laugh. Upon hearing her giggles, Nudge, Gazzy, and Iggy joined her. Soon, the Gasman was giving Iggy a very animated commentary on the dolphins' antics, and Nudge was bent over from laughter.

I smiled at my flock - my family. Just a little bit ago we were on the run, fearing for our lives. Now, instead of just surviving, we were truly _living_. It gave me hope for the future, something that had always seemed so unclear to me - so unpredictable. Of course, our plans could change at any moment, but for right now, I was almost...settling.

"What're you thinking about?" Fang asked. I glanced in his direction before looking back at the setting sun.

"Oh, you know, just our messed up lives. And how they're not so messed up anymore." I murmured. I unfurled my wings a bit, letting the air cool them down from the fast flight. To my side, Fang did the same, leaving our wings overlapping somewhat. Our hands were still joined together, and I briefly wondered if my hand was sweaty or not. _Probably_, I decided. _But he hasn't let go yet._

"I'm still all for finding a private island and just kicking back. It could be like this everyday." He turned his head to me, and I caught a small flash of some emotion cross his dark eyes before it was gone. I sighed and leaned my hand back.

"You know we can't." Even if it was really tempting at the moment.

"I know." He said before mimicking my actions, tilting his head up to the sunset. We sat there in a comfortable silence while we watched our little family splash around in the waves.

My lips turned up in a smile watching them have fun. Angel was still making the dolphins do flips in the air, and she somehow got some fish involved too. A soaked Nudge was chasing a laughing Gazzy, who turned around to stick his tongue at her. Nudge suddenly reached out a fist and made a pulling motion, causing the Gasman's belt to zoom into her waiting hand, the buckle being made of metal. Without the belt's support, his pants fell to his ankles. When he tried to chase after her, he tripped over his pants and face-planted into the sand. Iggy, meanwhile, was sitting in the surf. His hands were submerged under the water. I wondered what colors he saw in the sea - if it was clear, blue, or greenish.

_**This won't last forever, Max**_, the Voice interrupted my reverie. I scowled at my mental intruder.

_Well, hello Voice. Long time, no annoy_, I replied, trying to keep my tone aloof.

"Max, what is it?" Fang asked, his lips pulled down in a frown. I put a hand up. _Not right now_. He seemed to get the message.

_**This is serious, Maximum**_, the Voice chided. _**Your time has almost come**_.

_My time? _I asked incredulously.

_**Yes, your time to save the world**_. I gulped. So much for relaxation.

* * *

**A/N: So, this chapter was mainly fluff, but I really enjoyed writing it. Plus there's some Fax in there. Hopefully I did a good job keeping the flock in character.**

**Also, this fanfic is set five months after BOO and three months after Max. However, I bumped all the flock's ages up a year to better blend with all the Percy Jackson character's ages. So, Max just turned 16, as well as Fang and Iggy, Nudge is 13, Gazzy is 10, and Angel is 8.**

**Well, TTFN**

**~Wrendsor**


	7. B1: Chapter VII

**A/N: Oh my gosh, thank you guys _so_ much for all your feedback! It makes my entire day reading all of your nice comments and inspires me to keep writing this. You guys are awesome. Blue cookies for everyone.**

**Here's Percy (and a little surprise POV) for you all, my lovelies.**

* * *

Perseus

**I was really starting to hate cages**. If I ever got a pet (besides Mrs. O'Leary, of course), I swore that I would never force it into one of these prison cells. Seriously, how could dogs handle it? I was about ready to blow my head off. Of course, animals probably didn't have a bad case of ADHD, making it almost physically painful to sit still for long - but still.

So, when I woke up to find myself shoved in my four-by-four jail once again, let's just say that I was _not_ a happy camper (pun fully intended). My entire body ached like I had gone another round with the Minotaur - and lost. My head throbbed mercilessly, and my throat felt ripped to shreds. The spots on my back and ribs where the cattle prod had been jammed into were especially sore; looking down, I could see the raw flesh through little burnt holes in my now not-so-white shirt. I guess I could add them to my ever-growing collection of scars. More than anything I wished that I had some ambrosia right now, or even just some water.

Chuckles chose that very moment to bust through the steel door and, like my own personal fairy godmother, plop a plastic tray on the ground near my cage. On it was some unidentifiable slush and a small paper cup filled with dingy water. I expected him to say 'Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo' but instead what came out was a snarling, "Bon appetite," before he stomped back out. _Oh well, close enough._

After the door slammed shut behind the guy, I snatched up the little cup and greedily chugged it down...only to end up choking on it. As I started coughing up my lungs, panic seized me. Being the son of the sea god, I had never choked on water before. It wasn't supposed to be possible! I mean, I've seen other people have water go down the wrong pipe, but it never happened to me personally. What was going on here? First I couldn't call on the water around me, and now I couldn't breathe underwater? Most importantly, why had my powers chosen _now_ of all times to malfunction? I was almost beginning to believe that Tyche had a grudge against me. Though in my defense, I had truly thought that it was a feast for Tuna, not trying to insult her Roman festival or anything.

"You okay?" The unexpected voice caused me to jump slightly, banging my head on the roof of the cage. My hand automatically went to my pocket, only to realize that I no longer had pockets and that Riptide was currently MIA. My green eyes searched the virtual twilight until they stopped on the skinny girl in the cage diagonal from mine. I coughed once more before answering.

"Um, yeah, I think so." My voice was rough from the lack of liquids for so long and my recent choking fit. I glanced at the now half empty cup in my hands before flickering my gaze back to the strange girl. "Do you want the rest? When was the last time you drank something?" I tried to hand her the paper cup through the iron bars of my cage, but she shook her head and shrunk away.

"No thankssss. You probably need it more." After trying once more to offer her the cup, I shrugged and downed the rest. As the cool liquid washed over my dry throat, I had to stifle a moan. _This must be what true bliss feels like_. However, the water didn't give me that immediate power boost like it always did. Not only that, but the liquid did nothing to satisfy my thirst; it almost seemed to make make throat drier. I felt like my very own element had betrayed me.

Once I swallowed the last drop, I moved on to the grayish-brown mush. Was this supposed to be food? It looked worse than my school's 'Mystery Meat Monday'. I shoveled a few bites in my mouth - resisting the urge to gag as soon as it hit my taste buds - before pushing the tray toward the snake girl. She was majorly thin, like, skinnier-than-a-supermodel thin, so I figured she needed the calories.

When she tried shoving it back, I insisted. "You need the food more than I do. Besides, I'm on a diet." I patted my stomach for effect, earning a soft giggle from the 10-year-old. She finally gave in, taking a tentative bite of the so-called 'food'.

"So... Do you have a name?" I asked after a few moments of awkward silence. The girl, having finished the bland meal, was now huddled in a corner of the small crate. Thin, twig-like arms wrapped around her equally skinny legs, her entire body shivering from the dank cold that filled the room. Though I felt a bit chilly, she looked absolutely freezing, her lips an unhealthy blue color (which could've been a side effect of whatever made her part snake, but I didn't think so). I wondered if it had to do with our size difference. Or maybe she was cold-blooded? Probably should've been paying more attention in science class.

The girl looked hesitant to reply, but apparently my amazing charm won her over (yeah, right). "They call me Ssubject 12."

Anger washed over me. How dare these people do this to a little girl?! What would possess someone to shove a kid in a cage and dehumanize them by turning them into nothing more than a number - an experiment? "Who cares what other people call you. What do you want to be called?"

"Alazne. My name isss Alazne." Her voice was no louder than a whisper, like saying it was forbidden. A trembling hand reached up to tug at the bronze collar around her neck as if she expected to be electrocuted any minute.

"I like that name: Alazne. Can I call you Ali?" She smiled at my words, exposing two needle thin fangs (I off-handedly wondered if they were venomous), and nodded. "Well then, Ali, my name is Perseus. But only people trying to kill me call me that, so I go by Percy."

"Percccy." She tested the name, her forked tongue flickering like she was trying to taste it on her lips.

"Now that we got introductions out of the way, what is this stinking cesspool we're in anyway?" I asked, but immediately regretted it as her face grew somber.

"They call it the Sschool."

"That's just great. I hate schools - always manage to get myself kicked out."

Her lips barely twitched, but I could tell that the comment had worked to improve her mood slightly as she continued. "I think we're in the desssert. I can taste the red ssoil under all the chemicalsss-"

"Dude, you can taste the air?" I interrupted.

"Um, yessss."

"That's _so_ awesome."

Her cheeks reddened slightly, but a look of gratitude shone in her slitted, blue eyes. "Yessss, well, as I was ssaying... The School iss run by scientistss that do tests on kidsss. They put animal DNA in uss. Me, for insstance, I'm five percccent snake - Python, I think. And you know the guysss that guard the placcce? They're all mutants too - half wolf. We call them Erasersss."

My brain tried to process all of this new information. Of course I'd known that the mad scientists were evil, but I never would've guessed that they'd actually, like,_ mutate_ someone. Yet Ali was living proof of this. Also, the fangs that I saw on Chuckles and all the times that he had growled at me made sense now that I knew he was half wolf. I didn't know how to reply, so of course what came out of my mouth was a total seaweed-brained comment.

"So, if you call the guards Erasers, do you call the scientists Pencils?"

Alazne let out a surprised snort. "No, Erasers as in, 'I will erassse you from existencce' Eraser. And we call the sscientists the whitecoats 'caussse of their lab coatsss."

"Hmm, not very creative, but it works."

Ali continued, "From what I've heard, thisss is only a ssmall part of the School. They built thisss building a year or two ago, I think. The main one hasss a lot more kidsss in it." That was not what I wanted to hear. There was a whole other building filled with children getting experimented on?! A stream of Greek curses flew from my mouth that would've had me rinsing my mouth out with soap for the next week if Mom had been around. The 10-year-old's eyebrows creased in what I assumed was confusion.

"What do crowsss have anything to do with it?"

My jaw dropped. "You - you understood that?" Her blonde head bobbed in response._ No, no, no, no_. This girl couldn't be - she wasn't...

"Uh, this might sound a little weird, but who're your parents?" I tried to keep my voice from shaking, praying to every god I knew that it wasn't the answer I was suspecting.

"Um, well, my mom was a nurssse. She told me onccce that she met Dad on the job. She ssaid that she'd been barren, so when sshe had me, I wasss her little miracle baby."

Her eyes softened as she spoke of her mother. It reminded me of my own mom. She had to be freaking out right now - probably wanted to storm Olympus to demand they find her baby boy. It made a ball of guilt swell inside my gut thinking of all I'd put my mother through these past years. I hoped Paul was there to comfort her and calm her down. I swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat and bulled through, resisting the urge to cross my fingers. "Do you know your dad's name?"

Ali paused in thought. "I think hisss name wass Acestor. Apollo Acestor."

* * *

Third Person

**All across the globe**, the ocean was stirring. Hurricanes that made Katrina look like a kiddy wave pool wreaked the coasts, tsunamis wiped out entire islands, and earthquakes destroyed village after village. Everyone could tell that Poseidon was in a bad mood, but he had a very good reason for his volatile temper. The Hero of Olympus, his favorite and only mortal son, was missing.

The Lord of the Sea sat on his throne in Olympus, listening to the aimless arguing going on around him. Six days had passed since the Winter Solstice and still the Council of the Gods was in session. The meeting was taking longer than usual because it was the first one since the recent war with Gaea, so a lot of problems still needed to be taken care of. However, no one seemed to be agreeing with anyone, and petty bickering kept breaking out. Poseidon wondered how his family managed to get anything done over the millenniums.

The Sea God clenched his trident in a bone-shattering grip, his patience quickly evaporating, much like the water that he lorded over. He didn't have time for this! He should be searching the globe for his lost son, not wasting away in a worthless meeting! The other gods and goddess didn't even seem to care that their savior twice-over was now no where to be found. Anger washed over him; waves roared in his ears.

_Well, there goes two more islands in the Pacific_, he thought. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his overwhelming rage before all of Hawaii was drowned. It was not an easy task, but eventually he quelled his unruly temper, though he feared it wouldn't stay that way for long. Water hated to be restrained, and his moods were no different.

Beside Poseidon, the King of the Gods rubbed his throbbing temples. An Athena-sized migraine was forming in his head, caused by six days of constant yelling. At the moment, Demeter was trying to convince everyone to eat more cereal, while Artemis and Apollo were pointing their arrows at each other in another sibling squabble. Ares was threatening to slaughter Hermes's 'stupid serpents' if Hermes didn't return his favorite spear, to which Hermes replied with a cheeky "with what?" while twirling said spear in his hand. Hephaestus was in his own world, hammering away at a chunk of Celestial Bronze, oblivious to Hades's yells to keep the racket down. Meanwhile, Hestia was sitting quietly in her corner of the throne room, her orange eyes worried as she stared into the dangerously low flames flickering in her hearth.

"QUIET!" Zeus thundered, finally having enough. All sound cut off immediately as the Olympians all swiveled their heads to their king. His face was flushed with barely contained anger.

"Now, what is our next order of business?"

Athena, who had been sitting silently in her throne until then, spoke up. "What of the missing unclaimed demigods?"

"What about them?"

Athena sent her father a pointed glare. "What about them? Sixteen half-bloods, all under 10 years of age, have suddenly disappeared off the map."

Poseidon gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to run the Wisdom Goddess through with his trident for not mentioning his son, or including him among the missing. In fact, the other Olympians didn't even seem to noticed that Percy - who had saved their worthless hides numerous times - was missing. It was enough to make the golden ichor boil in Poseidon's veins.

"I agree with Athena." Aphrodite put in. Zeus looked between the two, surprised that the Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of Love would agree on anything.

"And what do you proposed we do?"

"Not sit here on our asses, that's what." Apollo muttered.

"Language, Apollo. And I happen to remember you being on suspension. Your opinion doesn't count." The Queen of the Gods scolded. The Sun God made a face at his step-mother, slouching further on his golden throne and crossing his arms over his chest like a pouting teenager.

Athena ignored the interruption. "I propose that we issue a quest."

"Oh please, Athena. We don't even know what happened to the little spawns. Not even I would send the Half-Blood brats on a suicide mission like that." Dionysus grumbled, looking bored with the whole 'meeting thing' and playing with a grape vine. The Goddess of Wisdom scoffed at him.

"As much as I hate to admit, Dionysus is right." Hermes said, "I can't find the missing children anywhere. They've just...disappeared."

Athena frowned, but settled back into her throne to think of another plan, steepling her fingers. Her mind was scrambling to come up with some idea, but coming up blank. If Hermes was not able to find them, then this was worse than she had originally thought. She quickly looked back through the given information. So far, two daughters of Aphrodite, one son of Demeter, one daughter of Apollo, two children of Ares, one of her own sons, and nine children of the minor gods had disappeared within a five month span - starting right after the war with Gaea. They were all under 10 years - the oldest being nine and the youngest being two - and were all unclaimed.

Suddenly, it dawned on her, and she barely managed to contain her gasp. "Not all of them were unclaimed. The seventeenth half-blood that was taken - the single variable that doesn't fit into the question, the only variable in a sea of constants, the one that doesn't fit into the pattern-"

"Ugh, cut the math talk and spit it out already." Hades muttered grumpily from his small throne formed of skeletons.

"Perseus." Upon hearing his son's name, Poseidon sputtered.

"What does this have to do with my son?" His voice held all of his anger, sadness, and pain. The Wisdom Goddess flinched slightly upon hearing her uncle's tone, but the excitement of her epiphany helped her to continue on.

"He went missing like all the others. No god or any other creature can locate him, not even Hecate. With all the power he has, Hecate should've been able to find him on the moon!"

"That's interesting and all, Athena." Artemis said, always straight to the point, "But what does this have to do with the other missing children?"

"It has everything to do with them! Don't you see? They're all connected! Perseus is the key behind this puzzle. He's the missing link. Unlike all the others, he's the only one missing that has been claimed. So, either the god behind all of this - because it has to be a god to block Percy's strong essence from us - has changed his or her MO, which I highly doubt, or-"

"Or the unclaimed demigods were not their real target anyway." Demeter concluded, catching the drift. Athena smiled at her aunt, nodding her dark head.

"Precisely. And I think it's safe to assume what - or rather who - his or her real target was." All eyes slowly moved from the Goddess of Wisdom to the God of the Sea. Poseidon stared at the powerful trident in his hand, feeling the weakest he's ever been.

"Perseus." His voice was barely above a whisper, yet the name seemed to echo throughout the entire room. "They wanted Percy."

* * *

**A/N: So many revelations in this chapter! The snake-kid tells Percy about the school, and she turns out to be a demigod. Meanwhile up on Olympus, the gods are freaking out about their missing kids, and it seems to be that a god is behind all the kidnappings - but is it? A lot more is in store for you guys. ;)**

**In case you were wondering, Acestor is one of Apollo's many titles. It's his God of Medicine one. Also, Alazne was referring to one of the curses that Percy said, which is "Go to the crows," and it's a common Greek curse that basically means go to hell.**

**Well, peace out!**

**~Wrendsor**


	8. B1: Chapter VIII

**A/N: Hello, my fabulous readers. I'm back with another chapter. It's Percy's point of view. Again. To be honest, he will probably have a lot more in the beginning than the others. This is because most of the action is happening on his end, and also cuz he's awesome. Don't worry though, Max and Annie will be having a lot more POV once they all get together. :)**

**So, without further ado...**

* * *

Perseus

**A couple days have passed** since Alazne dropped the bomb on me. Of course, I haven't told her that she's a demigod yet. I mean, how would I even go about that? Just out-of-the-blue say to her, "Oh, you know your dad Apollo? Well, I've actually met him a few times and, oh yeah, he's an immortal Greek god." She would _so_ love me for that. Wouldn't doubt me for a _second_. Yeah, right.

So, I've spent the days stewing in my own thoughts - or well, trying my hardest _not _to stew in my own thoughts. It was probably a good thing that the whitecoats were constantly running test after test, or I would've gone insane being stuck in a cage with nothing to do except examine the inner-workings of my head. Because me alone with my thoughts was, in the words of Leo Valdez: no bueno. The experiments also helped with the ADHD somewhat, making me so exhausted that even my hyperactive brain needed a cool down. Though, there were also the tests that didn't include physical exercise. Those were the ones that made me wish Auntie H was around to steal my memories again.

Ali helped to keep me distracted, though. She turned out to be a pretty talkative kid, which surprised me considering all the horrible stuff that had happened to her. I knew that if I had to go through this at her age, I'd probably already be knee-deep in Dionysus's Realm for Crazies.

Also, Alazne was quick to find out about my night terrors after I'd woken her up screaming bloody murder the first time I'd actually fallen asleep (rather than pass out from overexertion). She'd helped to calm me down with her strange mix of humming and hissing that was actually kind of soothing. Once I had come back to my senses and started on an endless stream of apologies, she'd quieted me and said it was fine.

Alazne had then told me that her mom had been an army medic for a short time before she'd been born, but her mom still had nightmares about whatever had happened there, so Ali used to have to do the same for her mother once in awhile. There had been tears in her eyes when she had said this. I had asked her if she missed her mom and got a small nod in return. I had swallowed the lump in my throat before saying that I missed mine too.

After that, we exchanged stories. Me, about how my mom baked the best blue chocolate chip cookies (to which I went on a tangent to explain the blue food), how I had inherited my infamous rebellious streak from her, and all the 99 reasons why she was ranked number one for the nicest person in the world. Alazne told me the rest of her mom's story - how she was the oldest of four kids and practically raised them, so she always felt the need to help others; how that had urged her to become an army medic and then after the army, a nurse; and how she would always sing Ali an old Beetles song instead of a lullaby to help her fall asleep. After hearing her mother's story, I understood why the woman had gained a god's attention.

Listening to a little girl talk about the mother she had been ripped away from was heartbreaking. Each tear that fell from Ali's serpentine eyes made my hatred for the School grow. How many kids had they taken from loving homes? How many parents were left wondering what had happened to their little baby? These scientists were completely sick for doing this to children - they were kids, for crying out loud! It made me want to throw up, or to punch them all in their stupid, sniveling faces - or possibly both.

But...these were humans doing this - mortals, who I had put my life on the line for to protect; who I had gone to _hell_ for to make sure that they could live. I had spent my entire life fighting creatures I deemed to be monsters, but really, who was the real monster here? At least those Telekhines that I'd blown up in that volcano three years ago had been taking care of their young. These people were experimenting on them - grafting animal DNA into them and treating them like lesser beings.

This brought my mind back to Bob and Damasen, and to what they represented. They were a Titan and a Giant - enemies to demigods - yet they had saved Annabeth and my lives, and in turn the entire world. They'd helped us to close the Doors of Death, sacrificing themselves to stop their brethren from razing the Earth. So, maybe a monster wasn't what you were, but rather, who you chose to be.

_Oh great, less than a week of forced introspection and I sound like Chiron._

Well, Chiron-thinking or no, this sudden epiphany had pulled back the curtains on my black and white world to reveal an endless field of gray. I'd always thought of mortals as innocent people to protect, but now seeing the horrors of their creation up close and personal, I wasn't so sure anymore. Once, I thought that the good people outnumbered the bad, but now...

_No, Percy, that's Tartarus talking again_, I firmly scolded myself. _There'll _always_ be evil out there, yeah, but good will always win. Didn't the wars against Kronos and Gaea prove that?_

Wow, I really needed to escape this place, or my own down-spiraling thoughts would kill me before the whitecoats did.

I was ripped out of my mind when the cage door next to mine squeaked open. My eyes snapped up to see an Eraser dump a boy into the waiting iron crate before closing it and stalking away. The boy didn't even flinch as his head hit the floor. That was gonna hurt in the morning...

I scowled at the Eraser's back, my temper flaring. "Hey, Dog Face!" I yelled. The man spun around and growled menacingly. If looks could kill, I'd be dead meat. _Oh, nice going, Seaweed Brain_, I thought as he slowly approached. _Taunt the Hulk double, he won't smash you at all..._

And then, something weird happened (even for me): his face started changing. Coarse hair sprouted out of his skin, his jaw jutted forward to form a muzzle, and claws extended from his paw-like hands. Unlike Frank's graceful, seamless shift, his was rugged and unnatural. It was almost like watching a bad 80s horror movie come to life: Frankenstein meets the Wolfman.

"Got something to say to me?" A corner of his lip raised to expose a fang sharp enough to rival a hellhound's. I suddenly didn't know what to say, my mind going blank. Sure, Ali had explained to me that these guys were part wolf, but I hadn't expected them to be able to actually shift their form. _Schist_.

"Isn't your line, like, 'Little pig, little pig, let me come in?' To which I'd reply, 'Not by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin.'" It spewed out of my mouth like word vomit. Well, now I knew why Annabeth called me Seaweed Brain. "Of course, you probably have enough hair for the both of us."

Wolfman snarled and pulled back a clawed fist like he was going to attempt to punch right through the metal bars to rip my throat out, but his hand slowly dropped back to his side. "Now, why would I want to come in a cage?" His guttural voice was taunting. "Besides, you're not the pig here."

My eyes followed his gaze to land on my new neighbor. After a few seconds, it finally dawned on me what I was looking at. The boy looked no older than seven, though his small size would suggest that he was even younger. A mop of mud brown hair adorned his round head, and he looked like he hadn't bathed in a month.

Horror filled my gut as I noticed that the kid's skin was pink. Not the flushed pink that you got after running a lot, but like, Piglet pink. His resemblance to Pooh's piggy friend didn't end there, however. A snout filled the middle of his face, placed right under a pair of black, beady eyes. He had a cleft lip - probably due to the snout - and his ears had extra skin on them, causing them to droop. A small hand reached out in my direction, but instead of the normal five fingers, there were three stubby ones, almost like he was trying to tell me 'Force be with you.'

I let out a strangled gasp before turning back to the Werewolf Wannabe. My hands shook the iron bars until my knuckles turned white. "What did you do to him?!" I could barely hold back my torrent of rage. Even over my yells, I could still hear the boy struggling to breathe.

The man snarled, his hand reaching for his pocket. I had one second to think, '_oh dam_,' before the electric current flooded my body, and I collapsed to the floor.

"Percy!" Alazne yelped. Though she was only a few yards away, it sounded like miles. My muscles seized as pain overrode my nervous-system. After a couple of agonizing minutes that seemed to take hours, the agony slowly ebbed away. When I finally became aware of my body again, I realized that I was covered in a thick layer of sweat and curled in a ball, my hands clutching at the device on my neck.

_If they keep that up, I'm gonna have some wicked scarring_, I thought as I tried to rub the raw skin under the collar.

"Al?" I croaked after a minute of collecting myself, "You 'kay?"

"Yesss, I'm fine. But you aren't." I groaned in agreement.

"'s he gone?"

"Uh huh. He left awhile ago. Right after you sstarted... convulsssing." Her voice cracked on the last word. I pulled myself into a sitting position, leaning against the cold bars for support as the world swirled dangerously around me.

"So, who's the kid?" My eyes trailed to the frail body to my left. His condition had worsened since the last time I looked at him. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his dark eyes rolled around without seeing anything. I could barely make out the slight fluttering of his chest.

Alazne followed my line of sight, her serpentine eyes softening when they landed on the pig boy. "Sssubject 15. I don't know hisss real name."

I frowned, still half out of it. "Um, I think he might have a fever or something. Aren't the doctors gonna do something?"

She looked at me like I had just grown another head - which actually wouldn't be too surprising, given all the strange tests I'd been subjected to. "Of courssse not." The way she said it, with such certainty, sent warning bells off in my head. I gulped.

"Ali, if you're 12 and he's 15...what happened to 13 and 14?" A look appeared in Ali's eyes - a look that I knew quite well after witnessing the aftermath of two wars. I knew what she was going to say even before her mouth opened.

"13 iss gone. I don't know about 14 or any of the other subjectsss, but I think they're dead too. Or wisssh to be." Her voice was hushed, and I immediately felt terrible for bringing it up. Emotions washed over me as I thought of all the kids that had died within these walls and all the kids that had died during the two wars I'd fought in. None of them had deserved to die. None of them. As I looked at the sick, unnamed boy beside me, that thought only solidified.

* * *

**The pig boy lasted** only two more hours before finally passing on to the underworld. I didn't even find out his name. After that, my nightmares only got worse. Each time I'd step into Morpheus's realm (or rather, be dragged kicking and screaming), he would be there, his skin flushed bright pink and his beady eyes pleading with me to save him. Each time, I'd watch him die all over again, not being able to do anything about it.

* * *

**A/N: So, we find out more about Alazne's background. Like her? Hate her? I'd really like to know. I'm usually not a big fan of OC's, but the story wouldn't really make sense without them. That being said, Ali probably won't have a huge part in this, unless you guys form a really big attachment to her for some reason.**

**Also, Percy's starting to see that the world isn't so black and white. In the House of Hades, he begins to realize this - even sympathizing with Luke at one point. But, of course, that was tossed out the window in BOO, or simply just forgotten. I personally thought that it was some major character development for our dear son of Poseidon, because Percy's mindset throughout the entire first series and the beginning of the second was very clear cut good verses evil and us verses them. He thought for a long time that Luke was evil, and then right in the end Luke suddenly became a hero again. Down in Tartarus, Percy realized that the lines were actually pretty blurred, and that even he himself wasn't as firmly on the good side as he thought he was (evident when he realized that he had just abandoned Bob in the underworld). A****nyways, enough character analyses.**

**Okay, so in response to Matt's review (since I can't really PM you cuz you're a guest): First off, congrats for catching that! Yes, I know that Apollo hates snakes, pythons especially. Alazne is actually part python for that very reason. Apparently, someone has a great sense of irony. Afterall, Percy is getting wings (does that count as a spoiler?), and we all know that Percy plus flying ****equals a big no-no. The pig boy that was mentioned is also a demigod (if you didn't guess that, whoops). Any guesses on who his godly parent is? Before I spoil _too _many things, I'll address the second part of your ahem, strongly worded review. Percy didn't lose his powers. In one of the other chapters, Percy describes it himself as a dam holding back the water, aka his powers. So no, Percy isn't powerless; something (or someone) is just blocking them. Will his powers be unblocked? Well, to quote River Song: _Spoilers._ ;)**

**Next up is Annabeth and mommy dearest. So, stay tuned!**

**~Wrendsor**


	9. B1: Chapter IX

**A/N: Hiya, people. Here's another chapter for ya.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Annabeth

**Today was Christmas**. December 25, the happiest day of the year. Children wait months for this very holiday. They eagerly anticipate the sugar cookies, candy canes, and boundless presents that await them on this time of year. Christmas: the day for cheeriness and hope - after all, the saying was "Merry Christmas." Except, I wasn't feeling very merry right now.

It was Christmas. I still don't understand why we celebrated it. It's a Christian holiday - Jesus' birthday - but we're the furthest thing from Christian. Our parents were gods, so it kind of disproves the whole _one true God_ spiel. Nevertheless, demigods continue to celebrate the winter holiday. Maybe it was just because of the thought behind it? The idea of giving presents to loved ones to show how much you cared. Or maybe it was because of the lesser known fact of Christmas's true pagan roots.

None of that mattered, however. I wasn't celebrating regardless. Today marked a full week of my boyfriend's disappearance (seven days, two hours, and fifty-four minutes, to be precise). Today also marked the second Christmas in a row in which Percy had been MIA. My mind was completely numb. I had shoved all my emotions down, locked them in a small box, and threw away the key. If I paused for one second to think about what had happened to the person I cared about the most - and how utterly alone I felt without him - I knew I'd shut down completely.

So, I'd become a shell of myself, going through the motions but not really feeling anything. It was a defense mechanism. I was experiencing textbook Suppression - intentionally pushing unpleasant thoughts from one's mind. Yes, I acknowledged the fact that it was unhealthy for my mental state, but if I allowed the feelings in - of loss, desperation, anger, grief, fear, devastation - my head would explode. It would be reminiscent of the opening of Pandora's Box. But Annabeth Chase was not going to have a mental breakdown when she had a boyfriend to find and hundreds of demigods counting on her.

At the present, I was sitting in the Jackson-Blofis living room on the couch. Sally was sitting across from me in a chair holding a cup of hot chocolate. My own mug was on the coffee table untouched, right next to a platter of blue chocolate chip cookies. Seeing the cookies, I had to swallow the lump in my throat that formed. They were his favorite...

I snapped myself out of it before the tears could fall. I'd already cried myself silly. I cried every night when he wasn't there beside me, when I didn't wake up to his ocean-breeze scent, when I would look to my side to see the empty space where he used to be... I'd cried so much that I thought my tear ducts would burst. No, I was done crying. I needed to be strong now, especially in front of Sally. Dear Sally, who lost her baby not once, but twice. All because I couldn't save him...

_No, Annabeth. Don't think like that,_ I firmly told myself. _There's nothing you could've done to stop it. _Except, there was. And I don't think I was fooling anyone, much less myself.

Sally cleared her throat, and it was only then that I realized I'd been staring off into space for a couple of minutes. I mentally shook myself before turning my eyes on her. "Do you want any marshmallows?" She asked kindly.

"No, thank you, Sally." She hated it when I called her Mrs. Blofis or Ms. Jackson. Plus, we had gotten closer due to Percy's previous kidnapping, so we were on friendly terms. I admired the woman greatly; she had already accepted me as her own and treated me almost like a daughter.

Not wanting to be rude, I grabbed my mug (it was a blue Little Mermaid cup; I tried not to think of who it belonged to) and took a sip of it. Rich hot chocolate poured down my throat, causing my eyes to drift shut. Percy's mother made the best hot chocolate - perfect chocolate to whipped cream ratio, plus she added a sprinkle of cinnamon. After two more sips of the warm beverage, I set it back down on the table.

Suddenly, I had a flashback to one year ago when Percy had just seemingly vanished out of thin air. Back then, Sally and I had been each other's crutch. All those days spent together in constant worry of the boy we both loved so much, swapping stories of all the idiotic things the Seaweed Brain had done, and lending a shoulder to cry on when the other needed it had really solidified our relationship. It was what kept me going all those months. At least I hadn't had it as bad as Sally. She and Paul had told everyone that Percy was away to deal with 'family business' (which ironically turned out to be somewhat truthful), so in public, she and her husband had to act as if nothing was wrong.

I shook my head to rid it of the memories, getting down to business. "We still don't have any leads. Hazel and Frank are leading a team to search California. The Hunters of Artemis have also been informed and are searching the surrounding states. So far, that's all we have to go on."

Sally nodded, her face lined with worry. "And what about you, dear?"

"Uh, me?" I asked, not fully understanding what she was asking.

"Yes you, Annabeth. How are you holding up?"

I took a deep breath, quelling the ridiculous urge to tell her the truth - that no, I wasn't holding up very well. That it felt like I was fourteen again trying to hold up the sky. That I was drowning in the Cocytus River, unable to shield my ears from the endless cries of woe. "I-I'm doing fine. I just wish we'd find him faster."

"Mhmm. Any nightmares, though? You know, you could always stay here if you wanted. I'm sure Paul wouldn't mind." Her blue orbs bore into my gray ones, shinning with motherly tenderness. The ardor in which she gazed at me caused my breath to catch in my throat, rendering me speechless for a few moments. The almost undetectable redness rimming her eyes, however, was enough to secure my answer. She was a mother yearning for her son, and I was determined to find a way to bring him back.

"I appreciate the offer; I really do. But, I'm needed at camp. Grover and Lou Ellen are close to finding a locator spell, plus the gods have just finished their bi-annual Solstice meeting, so Chiron is speaking with them at the moment. With all that Percy's done for Olympus, I'm sure the gods will help." Sally's eyebrows creased together in the same way that Percy's did. She knew that I had avoided her first question, but she didn't bring it up.

"Well, my door is always open, Annabeth." She said kindly before getting up to put her empty mug in the sink.

"Shouldn't you be more worried? About Percy?" The words forced themselves through my mouth without my consent. I felt like my impulsive, seaweed-brained boyfriend. Sally froze by the doorway, causing me to immediately regret my question. I hadn't really meant it; she just seemed so...calm. So collected, compared to me.

Percy's mother turned to look at me, a strand of gray streaked brown hair falling out of her ponytail to partially obscure her face. In that moment, I knew for certain that although she was calm on the outside, she was an emotional wreck inside. She had donned a mask to be able to go about her daily life as if nothing was wrong, as if she knew exactly where her child was and that he was safe and sound. Since Percy was twelve - no, since he was born - she had always wondered if her son would live through the day. Right then, I figured that Sally Jackson Blofis was the strongest person I'd ever met.

Upon seeing my expression, her eyes softened. She slowly walked over and kneeled before me, taking my hands into her own. "Annabeth, the reason why I'm not worried about him is because of _you_. There is no force in the world that could keep you from finding my son. You found him after he was taken by a _goddess_. There is no doubt in my mind that you will find him again." Sally stared right into my eyes, making sure that I understood that she meant every word. "You just have to keep hoping, Annabeth. Isn't that what Percy always says?"

This time, my lips curved into a small smile. Percy was like the embodiment of hope. Even when Prometheus gave him Pandora's Pithos, he was still able to keep ahold of it. And when we were trapped in Tartarus, his hope for the future was what got us out of there. Taking a deep breath, I allowed that same fire that Percy had to fill me up: the fire of hope, of family, of _home_. I silently prayed to Hestia as I did so, so that I would never give the fire up, and that neither would Percy, my home in every right.

With a new resolve that I thought I'd lost forever, I looked down at Sally. "Thank you." I said sincerely. I had come here today to reassure Sally that all would be well, going on the assumption that she would be downcast on her son's favorite holiday. Instead, she had reassured me.

"No problem, Annie." Strangely, I was okay with her calling me that. Though if it had been anyone else, they'd get punched in the nose. "Now go find your boyfriend and bring him home safe." She smiled at me.

I nodded, standing up from the plush couch. "Bye, Sally."

"Goodbye, Annabeth." She replied, pulling me in for a tight hug. "And Merry Christmas."

* * *

**With each step away **from Percy's apartment building, my feet grew heavier. Around me, Manhattan continued to thrive, the people hustling and bustling down the crowded sidewalks like a colony of worker ants. The storefronts were all decorated for the season, their windows covered in red and green lights. A light snowfall drifted from the sky, casting everything outdoors under a thin white blanket.

Watching the denizens of New York continue living as if the disappearance of the twice Savior of Olympus meant nothing to them made anger swirl in my gut. It was irrational, yes, that I was getting angered over this. Of course mortals wouldn't care if a demigod had been kidnapped, even if said demigod had saved their lives more times than they could count. Mortals were ignorant of the gods, and of monsters and demigods. It reminded me of Thomas Gray's famous phrase: 'Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.'

A small ball of jealousy formed in my stomach before I could subdue it. These people lived simple lives veiled from the gods who lived right under their noses. They knew nothing of the true horrors of the real world - that there were monsters much worse than the Boogeyman living among them. Their biggest dilemma was what to get for their relatives during last-minute Christmas shopping. It made me yearn for something so normal, so conventional. All I wished was for one year of peace with my boyfriend safe and sound, but apparently the Fates had other ideas.

_Curse those old hags, they're worse than Hera!_

Turning on my heal, I spotted a man dressed as Santa a couple steps away. He was probably trying to get donations for some organization, clanking a couple jingle bells together and ho-ho-hoeing in his red suit. Shifting through my jean pockets, I came up with four dollars and a couple of cents. After placing the loose change in his donation bucket, I gave him a tight smile. He returned it, though his was much more jolly under his fake white beard.

"Merry Christmas, miss! I can assure you that you'll get everything you want under the Christmas tree this year." He said joyfully, waving one of his mittened hands. Unless he planned on wrapping up my missing boyfriend, putting a bow on the top of his head, and tossing him under Thalia's pine, I sincerely doubted that.

My breath left me in a huff, a small cloud of condensation escaping my mouth as I did so. Pulling my gray coat tighter around my midriff, I continued to walk down the sidewalk. The brisk wind buffeted my hair, sending the blonde curls flying wildly around my head. It reminded me that I hadn't brushed it in awhile; with all that had been distracting me these past few days, I had forgotten to take care of myself. I was about to hail a taxi when a flash of dark hair and stormy eyes caught my attention.

"Mom?" I stammered. The woman turned upon hearing my voice so that I got a clear view of her. Dark hair cascaded down her shoulders in elegant waves, curling at the tips. She wore faded jeans and hiking boots, topped off with a warm, red flannel. Most notably, however, was the walking stick clasped in her hand. My gaze immediately hardened. She was not the mother I knew, though I recognized her. "Minerva."

Her cold eyes zeroed in on me, flashing like they were made of metal. "Child." She said distastefully, her face puckering like she smelled something unpleasant. My eyes narrowed, and I took a step closer to her, pulling myself up to my full height (though she was still several inches taller).

"What are you doing here, Minerva? I thought I had succeeded in your little suicide mission." My voice was nearly a snarl.

"Watch your tone, demigod," She reprimanded. "Though you are one of my...offspring, I do not condone disrespect." I had to restrain myself from slashing her with my ivory sword. Disrespect? Was she kidding me? She had sent me on a quest that had killed countless of my siblings, knowing that the chance I would actually succeed was very slim. It was the reason Percy and I had fallen into Tartarus.

Instead of the scathing comments I wished to make, I bit my tongue. "Why are you here, Lady Minerva." I ground out.

"I have just come to inform you that it is impossible to find that sea urchin you are so attached to." The Roman Goddess stated matter-of-factly. My temper flared.

"And why would that be, oh _Goddess of Wisdom_?"

"He is hidden from the gods. Not even Trivia could sense his essence. Such a feat is near unfeasible to accomplish, as only the most skilled sorcerer such as the Goddess of Magic herself could ever hope to pull it off."

I scowled at her, my teeth grinding together in agitation. How could my mother's other half be so... Despiteful? Wicked? Arrogant? She was like all of Athena's bad traits magnified in one person, without all the ones that I had come to love in her. It made it hard to believe that this person was a part of my mom. Maybe this was what eons of the need for revenge did to someone? At least she wasn't a raving lunatic anymore, like the first time I met her.

"I found Percy without help from the gods the last time. Now, I will do it again." I could barely control my torrent of rage; my hands were in tight fists at my sides, and my eyes flared like miniature storm clouds. The Goddess of Crafts just frowned at me, tilting her head and examining me like a difficult puzzle.

"You are be far my most..._interesting_ descendent. Though interesting may not be the correct word... Confusing, perhaps? Even though I was betting on one of my more competent children, it was you who rescued my statue from that cursed _spider_. Yet you, for some reason that I cannot comprehend, care deeply for that spawn of Neptune. He is a loose cannon: impulsive, brash, oblivious, and simpleminded - willing to sacrifice the many for a few. What is he good for? Why do you consort with the likes of him?" My hand twitched at my side, straining to reach for my weapon. Not only did she insult my missing boyfriend, she also insulted my intelligence in choosing him. I could only be pushed so far. Even I had my limits, and she'd just breached them. I quickly eliminated the space between us, my face now just inches from hers.

"You do not have the right to say that about Percy. He has saved Olympus more times than anyone - including you! He has given himself up so many times for others - and for what? So that he could be kidnapped not once but twice? So that he could fall into _Tartarus_? So that arrogant gods such as yourself could berate him? If anything, _I _am not worthy of _him_!" My breaths were coming in short pants, and my voice had risen about halfway through. Now, though, I purposely lowered it. "And you are most definitely _not _my mother."

Minerva's hand was gripped on her walking stick, and I could feel the power surging through her in reaction to her anger. "You dare speak to me like that, demigod?" It was a warning, but I refused to back down (my pride wouldn't have let me).

The Roman Goddess finally took a step back, but glared at me with her quicksilver orbs. "Do not let your hubris get the better of you, Annabeth Chase. There will come a time when wisdom shall fail you." A shiver ran up my spine at her words, but I didn't look away. Only until her entire body started to glow, revealing her true form, did I allow my eyes to close. When they opened again, the goddess was gone, the faint scent of old books and olives blowing away in the breeze.

My mother - or rather, the much less appreciated Roman form of her - had come to give me a message. The gods couldn't help Percy; it was up to me once again. But this time, it wasn't that the gods didn't want to help - they just couldn't. What kind of creature could hide a demigod's essence - especially a child of the Big Three's - from Hecate? I attempted to wrack my brain for any Greek or Roman creature that fit the bill, but none came to mind.

This reminded me of Minerva's second reason for showing up. Her ominous words echoed in my mind. _Wisdom shall fail you_. The warning had sent a sliver of fear through me, as much as I hated to admit. I was used to being the one with all the answers, the one who always had a plan. The idea that I might not be able to think myself out of a situation in the near future terrified me. Maybe it meant that I wouldn't be able to find Percy? No, I refused to believe that. I would find him. He was more than just my boyfriend, he was my _best friend_ and _nothing - g_ods, monsters, the Fates - would keep me from finding him.

I quickly hailed a cab and rattled off Camp Half-Blood's address. The car ride gave me time to collect myself before getting back to camp. It was in shambles without its leader. Though I had stepped up in the son of Poseidon's absence, I wasn't Percy. He had the camp wrapped around his little finger, though he remained oblivious to that fact. The demigods followed my lead, of course, but they practically worshipped my boyfriend (the younger ones treating him like some sort of Legend, fangirling whenever they spotted him). He had a certain aura that just made people just want to be around him. When I tried explaining it to him one day, he'd just laughed, but Piper had said that she agreed with me. He was like the sound of waves on a beach: calming, strong, and quietly powerful.

Suddenly, the taxi came to a stop. The driver turned to me, his face confused. "You sure this is the place?" He asked with a heavy New Yorker accent. Though I could see the camp sprawled out just beyond Half-Blood Hill, all the man could see was a small, ramshackle house at the top of a hill and the surrounding strawberry fields.

I nodded. "Mhmm. I'm visiting my uncle Chiron." He still looked a little unsure, but accepted the money I handed him and tipped his cap at me as I got out. As the cab drove off, I looked up at Thalia's tree. Peleus the dragon was wrapped around the pine, and the Golden Fleece glittered from one of the branches.

_Home, sweet home_, I thought with a sigh. Then I braced myself, crossing over the barrier that separated the mortal and mythological worlds.

* * *

**A/N: Have I ever mentioned how much I love Sally Jackson? Because, really, I do. She's one of the best characters in my opinion, and one of the most looked over. Of course, I knew that she wasn't gonna have much of a role in the second series, but come on Rick. The last book in the entire PJ/HOO universe and still no Percy and Sally reunion after seven months spent apart? I thought it would have been an amazing way for him to bring the story full circle because in the Lightning Thief Percy's sole reason for embarking on his first quest was his mom, so having a reunion after his last one would have made it more complete... Sorry for ranting so much. BOO wasn't bad or anything, but I was kind of expecting something epic for the last book, like with the Last Olympian. I guess I just held Riordan in too high of standards? But seriously, all they had to do to defeat Gaea was hold her above the ground and blast her with some fire balls and it was all over. Like, Percy defeated Antaeus, the son of Gaea, in the exact same way (water instead of fire obviously) in BotL, but I think his gladiatorial fight was better than the defeat of the Earth Mother. So yeah, still disappointed in that but whatevs. Okay, now I'm done. XD**

**How did y'all like the appearance from Minerva? I enjoyed writing the interaction. Idk why though. What does her little warning mean for Annabeth? Nothing good, no doubt! Next up is Percy. Will he finally get wings? Or will he be injected with something else? Or maybe he'll be able to escape beforehand... One thing's for sure: it's gonna be a _really_ long chapter, so buckle up!**

**~Wrendsor**


	10. B1: Chapter X

**A/N: Gah, this chapter is sooo long. It was over 6,000 words; that's twice my usual size. I just couldn't find a way to end it any earlier than I did. So, you're welcome I guess. **

**DISCLAIMER: Me no own Percy Jackson or Maximum Ride. **

* * *

Perseus

**I was getting really tired **of being a guinea pig. And coming from a guy who was once transformed into a guinea pig, that was saying a lot. Of course, the last time I had been turned into an actual rodent - orange fur, tiny claws, the works - by an evil, man-hating witch (not the best experience); this time it was just metaphorical.

Why was I now a metaphorical rodent? Well, apparently the Fates had been getting bored and decided, "Hey, Percy's life doesn't suck completely yet. I mean, he's battled Kronos, had his memories wiped by a goddess, fallen into Tartarus, and fought in two wars. But has he ever been kidnapped and experimented on by some evil mad scientists? Now _there's_ an idea!"

So, here I was, stuck in a cage in the middle of a desert being forced through endless traumatizing tests and trying not to smash my skull in from being trapped in an animal crate. I had already hated tests to begin with, and that was just the normal high school kind. But now? Well, I was _definitely_ rethinking the whole college thing after graduating. I think this place had me all tested out. As for a career, Marine Biologist was off the table for good; you couldn't get me to touch science with a fifty-foot stick.

It wasn't like I haven't tried to escape or anything. On the contrary, in the short span that I've been here, I've already attempted two prison breaks. Key word there: attempted. On my first try, I didn't even make it out of the kennel before an Eraser turned on the shock collar. The second time, I was slightly smarter and waited until Chuckles was shoving me passed the thick steel door for another experiment before giving him a sharp right hook in the face, putting all my strength behind it.

The good news was that the punch had knocked the mutant right out. The bad news? It had also broken my hand. The other two goons took me down pretty easily after that, though I did manage to roundhouse kick one right in the soft spot. It was pretty satisfying to see him on his knees singing an off-key soprano, even if the other wolf-man had grabbed my injured hand and twisted it hard enough to make me pass out right after.

Now, I was sprawled out as far as I could in the small cage that had become home. My right hand was curled in my lap, screaming in pain.

"Um, isss your hand okay?" Alazne's voice timidly spoke up from her own little home cattycorner from mine.

"Yeah. Just a little bruised is all." I lied, not wanting to bother her with it. She had her own problems to worry about, like the fact that her teeth had been chattering for the past hour.

"No, it'sss not. My mom was a nursse, remember?" Well, schist. I was hoping that she hadn't picked up anything from her mom. Or her dad, the God of Healing. It wasn't like she could do anything for it while trapped in a metal crate. "Lemme sssee it."

I sighed dramatically, but put my swollen limb under the dim light shinning from one of the bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The unclaimed demigod gave a small gasp when she could finally see the full extent of the damage.

"Your hand isss bigger than Mickey Mouse's." She said. I agreed; it had swollen to twice the normal size and was turning a sickly shade of purple. If I'd had any food in my stomach, it would've been all over the floor by now. I retracted the broken hand and carefully cradled it to my chest, silently wishing for some ambrosia or nectar. Heck, I'd even settle for Advil at this point!

After a view moments of silence, Ali whispered, "You ssshouldn't have done that."

"Done what? Punch the guy? He totally had it coming. Plus, seeing him drooling all over the floor was _so_ worth it."

"No, I mean try to escape. It'sss impossible."

"I'm the master of doing the impossible, Al." I plastered a cocky grin on my face, but even to me it felt forced.

"You don't get it." Her voice was shaking and tears formed in her blue eyes. "I've been here monthsss, Percy. Some of the othersss had been here even longer. But not onccce has someone escaped. The only way you leave isss in a body bag."

I swallowed the lump that formed in my dry throat. I've only been here for a little over a week, at most, and already I was starting to unravel. The idea that some of these kids had been trapped for months was incomprehensible. Just the thought of being caged and subjected to months of experiments made me queasy. I absentmindedly wondered how long it would take for my ADHD brain to completely lose it in here. Maybe I'd become like one of those insane asylum patients, banging my skull against a wall and talking to voices in my head.

"That's exactly why we have to escape, Alazne. We have to keep fighting - keep hoping - or else _they _win. If we don't at least try to leave this place, then one day we'll end up just another failed experiment." I stared into the daughter of Apollo's slitted eyes, trying to get her to understand. I didn't want her to end up like the pig boy - I couldn't let her. After witnessing so much death in my seventeen years, I didn't think I could handle another one. Alazne was innocent, not even in her double digits yet, but apparently she had drawn the short stick on life. Plus without Wise Girl around, Al had become the small ledge that I was clinging onto so as to not fall into the endless pit of my own darkest nightmares - though my hand was already starting to slip. If she were to die, then I could say bye-bye to my sanity.

Alazne either agreed with my inspiring speech, or she read the desperation on my face. Her blonde head bobbed once in agreement. "Okay. I won't give up." Though her voice quavered slightly, the determination in her eyes as she said this shocked me; it reminded me of Annabeth's intense stare.

Suddenly, it felt as if I'd been sucker-punched. It had been over a week since I'd last seen my girlfriend. She had to be a mess right now, searching everywhere for me. I remembered talking to Grover one day about my first kidnapping, and he'd let slip that during those long months without her best friend slash boyfriend, she had become slightly unhinged - threatening everyone who so much as looked at her the wrong way with her knife, like Clarisse after the first (and last) time the Stolls had pranked her.

If that had been her reaction before we'd been separated for six months and fallen into Tartarus, I could only imagine what she must be going through now. Not that I doubted Wise Girl's strength or anything - the opposite really; she was way stronger than I could ever hope to be, the strongest and most capable person I knew - but we had become a little...codependent since everything that happened in the past year. Sure, we had gotten better over the past months - it was a very slow process but we had been recovering little by little - but that had been when we were together, and I wasn't in the hands of crazy, scalpel-wielding psychopaths. Now, I think we were probably both regressing back to the days right after the Giant War. Her nightmares had to be just as bad as mine were, if not worse. After all, at least I knew that she was safe at camp; she had no idea where I was.

The throbbing in my hand eventually dragged me out of my thoughts. How long did bones take to heal naturally, anyway? Because I was already fed up with it. Usually I'd just take some ambrosia and soak the injury in water until I was good to go, but I had neither at the moment. Would ambrosia even work on me anymore, with my sudden powerlessness and all?

"Don't suppose you have any ibuprofen in there?" The look Ali gave me was all the answer I needed. "Great, just great." I muttered as I settled against the hard bars of my cage, getting ready for one extremely uncomfortable night.

* * *

_**A thick layer of mist engulfed me**. It was a python, wrapping around me in sinewy coils and trying to suffocate me. It tugged on my feet as if trying to pull me under the ground and drown me, like an Alaskan bog. I shivered as its cold tongues lapped at my exposed skin, causing goosebumps to arise wherever it made contact, as if a disease was consuming me._

_A shrill laugh suddenly echoed in my ears. At the sound, the gray mist thinned until it finally dissipated. Without the heavy fog obscuring my eyes, I could clearly see where I was. The ground was made of black shards that crunched as I shifted my weight, and the sky was the color of fresh blood mixed with cement. About ten paces in front of me was a cliff, and under the cliff...nothing, just an endless abyss of darkness - of Chaos. I stumbled, finally realizing where I was. But, no, I _couldn't_ be here! We'd gotten out! We had found the Door and escaped - Bob and Damasen had made sure of it!_

_The high-pitched cackle sounded again, this time from right behind me. I quickly spun around, but what I saw froze me to my very core. Annabeth, shrouded in Death Mist, was facing off with Acklys. Though every fiber of my being screamed at me to help, I remained a statue as my girlfriend desperately slashed and stabbed at the Goddess of Misery with her ivory sword._

_Annabeth got in a few good cuts and looked to be gaining the upper hand - that is, until Acklys played dirty. Flowers started blooming around the daughter of Athena, causing her to stumble. But, that wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part was when poison started to flow out of the brightly colored blossoms. The goddess sneered as Annabeth's zombie face slowly filled with horror. The bubbling poison poured around Misery's ankles, hissing as it made its way towards the blonde demigod._

_"No!" The word ripped itself out of my throat as I strained to break the invisible restraints that bound me in my spot. It felt like Medusa had turned me into stone._

_"And what are you going to do about it, oh mighty hero?" Acklys's mocking voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Another shrill laugh that could put the Wicked Witch to shame erupted from her lips, turning her bleeding face more grotesque than it already was._

_The fatal river of poison was now only feet anyway from Annabeth as she continued to inch backwards. However, she was starting to get close to the edge of the cliff..._

_"Annabeth!" Hearing my voice, her stormy gray eyes rose to meet my sea green ones. In them, I could read all of her fear and desperation. Gone was the strong, calculating mask she usually wore. I had to do something to save her. I _had_ to!_

_Poison was partially a liquid, right? So, in theory, I'd be able control it. I mean, I've controlled lava before, so poison shouldn't be that far of a stretch. With that in mind, I reached down inside myself to call on the deadly liquids. It should work - wait, it _has_ worked! However, instead of the tugging in my gut, a burning sensation filled my stomach. I cried out and collapsed to my knees, cutting my palms on the sharp shards on the ground._

_"Percy, help!" Annabeth's frightened voice reached my ears._

_"Yes Percy, save her." Acklys taunted. I held my breath and attempted to call on the poison once again, but the fiery pain only intensified, leaving me screaming. Tears blurred my vision as I watched Annabeth trip on a loose shard of glass and drop her sword. When she finally caught her balance again, she was mere inches from the edge, the drakon-bone blade tumbling over the pit. My breath caught in my throat._

_"Watch, Perseus Jackson, as your beloved falls into Chaos's Abyss. Watch, and know that it was because of your failure that she perished." The voice that came out of Misery's mouth was not her own. Instead, it was strangely calm, and I couldn't tell whether it was male or female, nor the age of it._

_The poison had now reached Annabeth's feet. As it made contact with the toes of her tattered shoes, the rubber started to melt. I redoubled my efforts in controlling the liquid, pushing passed the intense, searing agony that encased my body. The daughter of Athena took a step back, only to find that there wasn't anywhere to go. As Annabeth teetered on the edge of the cliff, our eyes met for a split second - green on gray. Her lips formed three last words, "I love you."_

_Then she was gone, falling into the eternal nothingness. When her final screams reached my ears, the ball inside of me shattered, and this time, Wise Girl wasn't there to pick up the pieces._

* * *

**All I could hear was screaming**. A scratchy, terrified, ear-numbing scream. It took my mind a couple of moments to register that it was actually me screaming. But, why was I screaming? Where was I? Images suddenly flooded into my head: Tartarus, Acklys, poison, Annabeth...falling. What was I going to do? Annabeth fell into the abyss because of me. She had died because I had failed to save her!

_Wait, no. That's not right_, a little voice in the back of my mind whispered. _You escaped the Pit; you got her out. She's safe_.

But a louder voice was yelling at me, drowning out the other one. _She's gone - dead - all because of you. You couldn't save her; just like you couldn't save Beckendorf, or Silena, or Luke, or the countless other demigods that died because of you! You _deserve_ to be in Tartarus._

My hands clenched my head, pulling at the raven-colored hair on my crown. I didn't know what to believe; I didn't know where I was. Where was Annabeth? I needed her. My thoughts swirled around my head like a cyclone, too fast for me to comprehend. However, a single word stuck out to me, like the eye of the hurricane: escape.

My eyes flew open and dashed over my surroundings. The area was dark, the only light source being a few dingy bulbs. It gave the space an eerie feel - though that could also be attributed to the many rows of empty dog crates, like a kennel. My breath quickened. What kind of place in Tartarus was this? More importantly, where was Annabeth? Did the monsters get her somehow? My hand reached for Riptide, only to find that my pants didn't have pockets. That didn't make sense: I always made sure my pants had pockets, for exactly this reason. I felt on the urge of a panic attack, the air not quite reaching my lungs.

"Shhh, hey, everything'sss fine. You're okay, everything isss okay..." A voice reached my ears. In my panicky state, the words sounded muffled and unreal. "Hey, Percccy. Perce, look at me."

Once the words clicked in my mind, I decided to listen to the calming voice. My green eyes searched through the semi-darkness until they rested on a little girl hunched over in a cage to my right. "Good job, Percce, that'sss great. Now, just focus on my voicce." I briefly nodded. The girl's voice was soothing, with a strange hissing undertone that made it somewhat hypnotic.

"You're not wherever you think you are. You're at the Sschool, remember?" My memories slowly started to click back in place. I was at the mad scientists' laboratory, not back in monster hell. It had just been a nightmare; Annabeth was perfectly fine.

I let out a shaky breath. "T-thanks, Al." My voice was scratchy from screaming in my sleep. I couldn't remember when the last time I felt properly hydrated was.

"Sso, do you wanna talk about it? It might help." She asked me this after every nightmare, but I always turned the offer down. How could I explain to this little girl that I had literally fallen into hell? Why would I even want to? She was living in her own personal hell; I couldn't crush her by telling her about the actual one.

So instead, I stayed silent, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. Alazne sighed, shifting into a position to conserve the body heat that she obviously didn't have. Not one for staying quiet for too long, Ali spoke up again. "Who'ss Annabeth?"

Upon hearing my girlfriend's name, I startled. "How'd you know that name?"

At this, Alazne's cheeks reddened. "You were, um, yelling it. In your sssleep." It was my turn to blush now.

"Oh." I coughed slightly before deciding to continue. "She's my girlfriend. My dream was just about her, you know, dying and stuff." The picture of Annabeth's terrified face right before she fell flashed before my eyes, causing me to wince and all my muscles to bunch up.

"Oh..."

"Yeah..." I finished awkwardly.

Then, I pulled my legs up and wrapped my left arm around my knees. My entire right arm had turned to pins and needles sometime throughout the night, but I knew that the pain would soon come back with a vengeance, so I carefully placed that arm beside me to make sure I didn't injure it further.

I didn't know what to do. Drowsiness threatened to overtake me, but I didn't feel mentally stable enough to fall asleep. Just as I was seriously considering singing _99 Bottles of Nectar of the Wall_, Alazne started to hum. I didn't recognize the tune - Ali herself probably didn't even know - but her humming-hissing combination slowly worked to relax my tense muscles. The sound washed over me; it was beautiful in a unique, strange way. It reminded me of when Piper sang to those snake people in Athens.

That thought, however, caused me to be ripped out of the peaceful trance. My friends - what were they doing right now? Jason was probably worrying his head off, Piper being not much better but putting on a brave face for everyone else. Leo, well, I'm not sure what Leo would be thinking - his mind was kind of scary to imagine. Hazel and Frank would be frantic, though Reyna would hide all her emotions behind a brick wall. However, Rachel was the one I was most worried about, as well as Grover.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, with all her Oracle-ness, was able to see the future, among other things. Was she able to see me right now? See all those horrible experiments the whitecoats had done? For her sake, and everyone else's at camp, I hope that answer was a big no. Even though it would be great to be rescued from this place, what happened behind those thick lab doors was, well...ineffable. I didn't want my friend to have to see me like that.

Also, Grover and I still had our empathy link. Could he feel the pain that I was in? We had talked about my little trip to Tartarus a couple weeks after the Giant War, and he'd said that at one point the Satyr had collapsed while visiting Camp Half-Blood. It had probably been during my near-death experience after our last run in with the Curses. Just the thought of having put my best friend through that had made me want to cut the link right then, but Grover had assured me that the pain he went through was probably nothing compared to experiencing it firsthand. I had relented after that, but now I wished that I hadn't.

For the next hour, I remained in a half-lucid state that I had near-perfected after being trapped in a cage for so long. It was sort of like meditation - though instead of trying to become one with reality, it was me trying to escape it.

The steel door suddenly opened, causing Ali's humming to come to an abrupt stop. I shifted uncomfortably and licked my dry lips, though there was no saliva to wet them. _Another day, another round of torture_. Six muscled Erasers filed into the large room, half of them fully morphed into their wolf form. I could see Chuckles leading the pack towards me, and I noted with a smug smile that the right side of his jaw was completely covered in purple bruises. Seeing my smirk, Chuckles barred his fangs at me, but that did nothing to mar my happiness.

"So, what's up fleabags?" I addressed all six as they stopped in front of my crate. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

They all snarled in response, their rough hair bristling in agitation. One of the fully morphed ones bent over to unlatch my cage before grabbing my shoulder and dragging me to my feet. Another wolf-man stepped over and wrenched both of my arms behind my back, handcuffing them together tightly. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out from the rough treatment of my broken hand. Seeing my pained expression, Chuckles laughed. I resisted the urge to spit in his face as he shoved me forward. Not that I had any spit left, but still...

"Get moving. Another day of experimenting awaits." Wow, he said a word with more than two syllables. Color me impressed.

As my escorts and I passed by Alazne's cage, I winked at her. She gave a small, timid smile in return but remained mute, her terror of the wolf mutants overpowering her talkative mouth. Seeing the snake-girl so quiet made waves roar in my ears. The Erasers reminded me of the bullies from the many schools I'd gotten kicked out of (the learning kind, not to be confused with Frankenstein's School for Wackjob Scientists): even though they were just like every other student - or in this case mutant - they acted like they were better than everyone, and mercilessly teased those they thought were under them.

My cheek was most definitely bleeding now from how hard I bit it to keep from attacking the six Erasers. Not that I'd get anywhere with my hands cuffed behind my back - one of which was broken - and being so dehydrated that I could barely walk straight. Apparently my body hadn't gotten the memo, though. Adrenaline still flooded my systems, making my skin crawl from anticipation. My flight or fight instinct was starting to kick in as I continued to be led through the white-walled hallways. Although, admittedly my flight instinct was practically nonexistent; I'd long since established that Percy Jackson never ran from a fight, even when facing the God of War at the tender age of twelve.

We passed many clear windows that looked into various rooms. I refused to look inside, instead keeping my gaze on my dirty bare feet as I walked. One reason was to make sure that I didn't trip - my head pounded like Blackjack had kicked it again, and the nausea made me feel worse than a seasick Hazel aboard the Argo II. The second reason was that I _really_ didn't want to see what was happening behind that glass - just the thought of it made my knees weak.

Almost subconsciously, I reached out for the water around me, just to be able to feel its calming embrace. Instead, I got a fire-poker to the stomach that made me want to hurl. _Figures_. On the outside, I looked completely collected (and probably a little pissed), but on the inside... Inside, I was a wreck. Not being able to constantly feel the gentle pull of the surrounding water was really starting to get to me, like I had lost my security blanket. How was someone able to block my powers? So far, I hadn't even seen anything to do with the supernatural except for Alazne, the unclaimed demigod. The only evil people I met here were mortal. So, how could they be doing this?

I was halted in my thoughts when a clawed hand gripped my shoulder. The jagged talons dug into the flesh there, ripping through the thin fabric of my shirt and drawing blood. I thought of how easy it would be for the man-beast to slice my throat right here and now.

"Enjoy the maze, lab rat." The Eraser snarled in my ear before shoving me through one of the many doors. Hopefully the mutant was being, like, metaphorical or something, because the whitecoats had already made me run through a maze, and it was not something I enjoyed at all. It had brought back many unpleasant memories of being trapped in the Labyrinth and the resulting battle.

As I stumbled in, mentally cursing the stupid Eraser for pushing me (because seriously - pushing? What were we, five?), I took stock of the room. It was white (surprise, surprise) with gray tiling on the floor. In the center of it was a metal hospital bed bolted to the floor with several surgical instruments laying beside it on a small table. I gulped.

_So it was gonna be one of _those_ days._

Someone cleared their throat, making my head whip back to the left side of the room. Standing there was a short whitecoat. He looked to be in his early sixties with a gray combover and watery blue eyes. The more I looked at him, the more and more he resembled a toad; Annabeth probably would have made a comment about him being the male equivalent of Umbridge. The thought made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

The scientist wasn't watching me, however. He was looking at the six escorts behind me. I turned to see that only two of them had followed me inside. At the whitecoat's level gaze, the remaining two Erasers gave low growls before grumpily stomping out to join the others on the other side of the door. Once the metal door was firmly bolted behind the last wolf-man, Dr. Umbridge hurried over to the table, motioning me over silently with a wave of his hand. I complied, glumly walking over to stand in front of the man. And when I say stand, it was more like tower. I was over a whole head taller than this guy - he couldn't be much taller than five feet.

"Turn around, let's get those handcuffs off." I'd expected his voice to sound like Umbridge's too - all annoying and pompous - or like the other whitecoat's, but instead there was a some sort of underlying...kindness, maybe? It shocked me, so much so that I actually followed his instructions to turn around without any sarcastic comment. Next he asked me to take a seat on the metal bed. I knew enough about this routine to know not to retaliate. The first time I had tried, I learned that whitecoats carried around those handy dandy remotes too, so trying to overpower one of them would only end up with another shock and no numbing medicine during the 'procedure'.

"Okay, now let's see that hand of yours." He said, surprising me again. _Please, let this not be punishment for trying to escape_, I prayed to any god that was listening as I carefully lifted my broken appendage.

Dr. Umbridge held my hand like it was a fragile baby bird. His stubby fingers ghosted over the bones in my hand, causing me to cringe whenever he got too close to the break for my liking. If this was what it's like having a broken limb, I now have a whole new respect for my girlfriend, who had to trudge through Tartarus on a fractured ankle.

"Hmm, you have an oblique break on the neck of your second metacarpal bone, and also a transverse fracture on the shaft of your third metacarpal bone. Luckily, neither punctured your skin," He said, addressing me. I was confused for a moment, because most of the scientists spoke as if I didn't have enough brain cells to comprehend English. The other reason for my confusion was that I didn't understand half of what he said. It reminded me of how Will Solace, son of Apollo and number one medic at camp, always insulted people using medical terms.

Then the doctor's hand moved towards the various torture - I mean medical - devices. I squashed the overwhelming urge to flinch as his hand drifted over the tray, searching for the best tool to dissect me with. He finally found what he was looking for and picked up the small bottle. I tried to read the label, the letters scrambling like they had ADHD as well. Entohla? Tehonal? Ethanol? None of it was ringing a bell, so I just hoped it wasn't poison, though judging by the chemical smell that wafted up to me, it just might be.

Imagine my surprise when he poured the stuff on a strip of gauze and started to gently dab it on my hand. The liquid whatever-it-was sizzled as it made contact with my bloodied knuckles, reminding me of the times I would fall off my skateboard when I was a kid and Mom would have to pour Hydrogen Peroxide on my skinned knees. As if reading my thoughts, Dr. Umbridge said, "It's just some antiseptic so the cuts don't get infected. Aaaaand there. Now for the bandage."

Now the old scientist grabbed a small roll of white bandages. He wrapped them firmly but carefully around my broken appendage, making sure that the bones couldn't move and that it wasn't too tight. After he finished wrapping, he held the bandage together with two butterfly clips, like a bow on top of a present. "There. All done." He announced, sounding like the kid doctor I used to go to when I got sick. I almost expected him to give me a lollipop and a sticker.

Before I could tell him thanks or anything, the door burst open. The whitecoat looked startled for a moment before his eyes settled on the figure that barged in. An angry glint flashed in those baby blues, but it was gone in a blink, leaving me wondering if I had imagined it.

"Hello, Dr. Lavelle." He said, his tone stiff and formal. I resisted the urge to groan. Great, Dr. Psycho was here herself!

"Dr. Barrett." Mette replied coolly. If she tried to hold her nose up any further, she'd probably fall flat on her back. "I see you will be helping me during this...operation."

"Hey Maggie, nice seeing you too." I smiled cheekily at her, enjoying the scowl that etched itself on her face. I gathered she was regretting telling me her name, and it took all my self-discipline to hold in my laugh. Too bad for her that Margaretta had like, a hundred different nicknames for it (thank you, Mr. D). She sort of reminded me of Annabeth in that sense, who hated anyone calling her by a different form of her name. Then realizing that I had just compared my girlfriend to a psychopath, I shuddered.

"You won't be laughing for long _Subject 17_," the way she said Subject 17 made me grind my teeth together to keep from lashing out at her and breaking my other hand. "Soon you will break. And on that day, you will be _mine_." My left fist clenched, the knuckles turning white. I remembered Gaea's taunts of becoming her '_little pawn_,' and before her, Krono's.

"And how are you going to do that? Not even hell could break me," I scoffed. Okay, that was a tiny bit of an overstatement. I remembered my fight against the Goddess of Misery, and the exact moment when my insides had shattered into a million little pieces. But it wasn't like Dr. Frankenstein could catch my bluff; she couldn't know about the existence of Tartarus - that my words had been more than just a metaphor.

A crazy spark lit up her eyes, and a demonic sneer twisted on her face. "Why, with this of course." Her hand slid into one of her lab coat pockets, pulling out a syringe filled with a light blue colored liquid. Seeing the long needle that she attached to it, which had to be more than six inches long, I practically flew off the hospital bed.

"Restrain him," she said simply, and immediately two Erasers filed into the room. They easily subdued me and strapped my wrists and ankles to the metal bed, making sure to jostle my broken limb. As Dr. Lavelle slowly approached me, I had the sudden thought that this bed looked a lot like those tables at the morgue in one of those cop shows my mom liked to watch. That thought only caused me to thrash myself around harder, though it was no use. Dr. Umbridge stared at me from the corner of the white room, his sky blue eyes - the same color as the serum - grave as he saw my useless struggle.

"Now, this might hurt a little," Mette said haughtily. I was about to call her out for being cliche, but then she jammed the long needle into my chest and injected the liquid.

The effect had not been instantaneous. In fact, after a couple seconds of nothing happening, I raised an eyebrow at her. However, the next moment all my smug thoughts vanished as pain suddenly flooded through me. It felt as if my blood had been replaced with the river Phlegethon. A burning sensation that had begun in my chest started to spread like a wildfire. I could feel my organs rebelling from the foreign substance, and my bones felt fused together with a blowtorch. It was like I had been dipped in battery acid, or maybe some of Polybotes's poison. Though it wasn't as bad as my bath in the Styx, it was definitely worse than the Gorgon blood.

My thoughts became hazy and the world blurred around me. One second I was strapped down on a hospital bed, and the next I was collapsed on ground made of splintered glass as the Arai loomed above me. The pain of all the curses was too much; I knew I was dying. I knew it because my mind could finally see the true realm of Tartarus - the utter horror of it all. But then my body decided that it had finally had enough, and I sank into the blissful peace of unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N: What is this? Is Percy _finally_ going to get his wings? Just took me 'til chapter ten, huh. Hope it was worth the wait!**

**Dr. Barrett (aka Dr. Umbridge) was actually inspired by my freshmen Biology teacher, who actually did resemble a toad. He was really nice, though, so I figured he would make a nice addition to the story.**

**Oh, and shoutout to Spilledink82 for the awesome review that gave me a huge ego-boost. To answer your question: no, not all of the whitecoats know about the gods. Let's just say that it's need-to-know information, and very few - if any - need to know.**

**Thanks to everyone else for your fabulous reviews! They always make me smile after reading them. Love you guys. :3**

**Au revoir!**

**~Wrendsor**


	11. B1: Chapter XI

**A/N: Hello, my fellow fangirls (and guys). Before I go onto the story, I wanna first thank all of you for reading this and sticking with me so far. You guys are seriously the best. And OMG we made it passed 50 reviews! All of your feedback is amazing, and it really helps boost my motivation. So, keep it up lovelies; you're awesome. :)**

* * *

Annabeth

**I hadn't yet walked ten feet **before I was spotted by someone. Or in this case, _someones_. The Stoll brothers were mid-run when they saw me pass Thalia's tree. Matching devil smirks curled their lips as they changed course for my direction. I frowned as they flanked me on either side, glaring daggers at them. However, this didn't faze them in the slightest.

"'Ello, Bethy." Travis said in a fake British accent, slinging an arm across my shoulders.

"'ow are we today?" His brother Connor continued, also in a British drawl.

"So kind of you to ask, brother dear. I'm doing quite swell, thank you!"

"I was asking 'lil Bethy over here, thank you very much."

"Oh, for shame! You never delight me with such pleasantries! Why, one might think you were raised in a barn."

"Tsk, tsk, dear brother o' mine. I was raised with the wolves. You should know!"

My scowl deepened listening to the two bicker in their fake accents. I silently cursed Leo for introducing the two to the Harry Potter movies; they practically worshiped Fred and George. The sons of Hermes continued back and forth for a while longer until I finally slipped from under Travis's arm. "You two, stop. And give it back to me." I scolded, holding out a hand.

"We have no idea-"

"-what you're talking about."

I raised an eyebrow at them. Finally, they relented. Connor handed back my invisibility cap, and Travis sighed unhappily. "We'll get it one day. Do you know how many pranks we could pull with that?"

"Never going to happen, Travis." I scoffed.

Connor glanced somewhere over my shoulder, his eyes widening. "Well, could we at least, like, _borrow_ it?" My eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why do you need it?"

He pointed, and my eyes followed his finger to a very miffed-looking Nico di Angelo. I swallowed the urge to laugh upon seeing his attire. "I'm guessing that's your work?"

The brothers laughed. "Yep! Some Iris campers helped us. We had them switch his clothes' colors to bright neon." Travis said proudly.

"That probably wasn't the smartest idea, seeing as Nico can conjure up an undead army at will. Plus, my hat only works on one person at a time."

The Stolls gulped, looking very regretful. "Well then, gotta blast!" Connor shouted as the two zipped off, running with all their might. The son of Hades chased after them, looking like an angry eighties hipster with his rainbow clothing. The sight brought a well-needed smile to my face.

_Just another day at Camp Half-Blood._

After stuffing my Yankee's cap back safely in my pocket, I continued on my way to Cabin 20. For the past week, the Hecate Cabin had become my second home. Grover and I, along with the three daughters of Hecate, had been searching nonstop for a spell to find Percy. We had already burned through all of the magical tomes at Camp Half-Blood. The old books had contained eight different location spells that had appeared promising, but none had worked.

Then two days ago, Reyna had informed me of a stash of Greek literature that the Romans had had in storage. Nico had shadow-traveled there, having to take three consecutive trips to carry the several armfuls of ancient scrolls. After glancing over a few, Lou Ellen had been elated, saying that if there was a spell to find Percy, then she was sure it could be found in those scrolls.

I walked passed the volleyball court. There were only a few campers playing, and even then their game didn't seem very upbeat. Every other volley, the ball would drop into the sand. The fire pit was also dreary. It's flames were at an all-time low, and Hestia was no where to be seen. I frowned, wondering where the Goddess of the Hearth was before remembering Chiron's assembly with the gods. She must be stuck on Olympus still.

Finally, the Hecate Cabin appeared in my view. It stood tall and proud, made of sturdy gray stone. The walls were engraved with magical writing, the words glowing a lime green, and Mist twisted around the building in thick snake-like coils. Looking at it, I was reminded of Hogwarts Castle. The cabin surely had the same feel - something purely magical and otherworldly. Knowing the children of Hecate, that had probably been their goal.

I knocked on the large wooden door, tapping my foot impatiently as I waited. From inside, I could hear the rustle of papers and muted shouts for someone to get it. After another minute of waiting, the door finally swung open, revealing Lou Ellen. Her dark hair was a mess, and her green eyes were wild. I noticed that she was wearing all black clothing that was covered in glowing runes. The words matched the color of her eyes and seemed to float across the pitch fabric. Despite the daughter of Hecate's rumpled appearance, a big smile was plastered on her face.

"Annabeth, just in time!" She said avidly before yanking me through the doorway.

Inside, the cabin was a mess. It looked as if a tornado had blown through; books, scrolls, and various bottles of unknown liquids were scattered everywhere. Grover sat on one of the beds next to the youngest daughter of Hecate, Izabel. Their heads were poured over a large, ancient book. Raegan, the middle child, was laying on her stomach surrounded by scrolls. She was biting a pen cap as she underlined something in one before tossing it to the side and grabbing a new one.

Izabel was the first to notice me. "Oh, hey Annabeth!" The ten-year-old smiled at me, showing off the gap where her front teeth used to be. Hearing my name, Grover and Raegan also looked up.

"Great, Annabeth, you're here!" Grover bleated, getting to his feet - err, hooves.

Raegan shifted into a sitting position, a cloud of dust wafting up as the ancient texts fell off her back. "Yeah, Lou found us another locator spell! She says this one looks very promising."

"Is that true?" I turned to the eldest child of Magic. She bobbed her head. The Mist from outside was pooling around her feet, reacting to her excitement. She quickly hurried over to her crowded dresser and grabbed a musty scroll. I followed, peering over her shoulder as she delicately unrolled the parchment. The handwriting was sloppy, written in something I prayed wasn't blood. The spell was ancient, I could tell, older than most Greek texts I've read.

Lou Ellen's eyes scanned the papyrus quickly, biting her lip. Then she closed the scroll and handed it off to Raegan, who took her own turn reading it. The thirteen-year-old's emerald eyes widened. "Uh, Lou? This is some pretty heavy duty stuff." She gulped, passing it on to the last magical child.

Lou Ellen turned to her younger sister, the Mist lapping at her exposed ankles. "Yeah, I realize that. But I also realize that we need to find Percy ASAP." The younger girl frowned, but acquiesced.

"Heavy duty? What do you mean by that?" Grover asked, biting his fingernails and trying to peek at the writing.

Izabel's eyes suddenly widened. "Blood - it calls for blood."

Grover's mouth dropped open, and I struggled to keep from doing the same. "Whose blood?" I asked. Lou Ellen shifted her weight nervously.

"'That who the Lost has never forgotten, who in which the Missing will always be found.'" She quoted, her jade eyes grave.

Grover swallowed. "But - but Percy had amnesia last year. He forgot about everyone!"

Lou Ellen's gaze didn't waver from mine. "Not everyone." The Satyr followed her gaze to land on me. He let out a small squeak.

Ignoring my friend's sound of protest, I pushed up the sleeve of my shirt. "How much do you need?"

"Oh, not that much. Probably only a few drops." She handed me a palm-sized bronze knife. Raegan scrambled to her feet, going over to one of the many cluttered shelves and plucking up a glass vial. She held it for me, her green eyes shinning with worry and doubt. I did my best to put it out of my mind, instead focusing on the task at hand.

Gently, I pressed the sharp blade against my forearm. As the blade made a clean slice through my skin, I resisted to urge to flinch. Blood began to weep down my arm, falling into the waiting vial in large droplets. After the vial was halfway filled with sanguine liquid, Raegan capped it. A white-faced Izzy then poured some nectar over my wound, effectively healing the small cut.

"Well, that should do it then." Lou Ellen said awkwardly.

"When do you think the spell will be ready to be cast?" I asked, tugging my sleeve back down.

"Uh, we have most of what we need right here. But some of the ingredients we'll have to get from Calypso's garden..." The demigod scratched her head. "It also has to be cast on the full moon. Something about how Mom used to be associated with the moon back when this spell was created and all that."

Grover's eyebrows rose. "But isn't that..." He counted on his fingers, "eleven days from now?" I mentally calculated it and came to the same conclusion.

Lou Ellen nodded grimly. "Yeah, but it's our best shot at finding him - our _only_ shot." Though I hated the prospect of leaving Percy in the hands of unknown enemies for any longer, I had to admit that she was right. This might be our only chance to find him.

"Okay then, make sure it's ready by January fifth. And keep looking for something to amplify the Empathy Link. If we could speak to him, Percy might be able to tell us where he is sooner." I said. The four nodded before getting back to their original tasks.

After the three demigods and satyr were back to going through the large piles of ancient texts, I slipped out of the cabin, closing the oak door behind me. I didn't know how to feel about the news. In eleven days, we could possibly have the location of my missing boyfriend. However, that would mean that Percy had been held hostage for eighteen days. A lot of things could happen in that span of time.

So focused on my thoughts, I didn't realize where I was going until I heard a shout. "Annabeth!" It was Piper. I looked up from my feet to see the daughter of Aphrodite trot over to me. "Hey, glad I caught you." She said, somewhat out of breath but still smiling.

"Hi, Piper. What did you need me for?" I raised an eyebrow. All I really wanted to do at this moment was collapse into my bed and lay there for all eternity. Or at least for eleven more days.

Piper looked nervous; she was absentmindedly twirling one of the feathers in her braided hair. Warning bells went off in my head. "Chiron finally got back."

"Oh, that's great. Does he need me?"

"Um, sort of," she bit her lip. "He called for an emergency meeting in the pavilion."

My eyes immediately grew to saucers. In all my years at Camp Half-Blood, we had never held a public meeting in the dining pavilion. All emergency meetings usually took place in the Big House between Head Counselors only. If it was public, then it had to be pretty big news. And not the good kind, either.

I ran a hand through my unruly locks (they really needed some brushing) before turning back to my friend. "Come on then, wouldn't want to be late." Just as the words escaped my lips, the conch shell horn blew, signaling to the other campers that they were to meet at the pavilion. Thoughts of _Lord of the Flies_ crossed my mind before I could stop them. I sincerely hoped that it wasn't a premonition for chaos to come.

* * *

**Piper and I had met up **with Jason, Leo, and Calypso on our way to the pavilion. Now, we were milling around the dining tables with about sixty other year-rounders. Nerves were high as we nervously waited for Chiron, the ADHD making most of us twitchy. Finally, Chiron clopped to the main table were he and Mr. D usually ate along with some satyrs or Rachel when she showed up. Now, though, he stood at his full centaur height, towering over everyone else.

Before he could get a chance to open his mouth, someone interrupted. "What's this about, Chiron?" It was Clarisse. Her voice acted like a crack in a dam, everyone else starting to voice their questions at once.

"Settle down, demigods!" Chiron shouted over the ruckus. Once it had quieted down again, he continued. "As you know, I have just recently come back from an assembly with the gods." Several nods confirmed this.

"At the meeting, several things were brought to my attention. Because of these happenings, the Olympians have decided to take some drastic measures." Chiron watched the assembled group of half-bloods, gouging their reactions. I found myself involuntarily holding my breath. "As of now, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter are going on lock-down. The demigods that are currently at school are being recalled as we speak."

Silence. Not even crickets dared to chirp. Then, utter pandemonium. Voices rose, each trying to beat the other in volume. Beside me, Piper let out a startled gasp. Jason had a look of confusion on his face, but he didn't say anything, reverting back to his true Roman roots. Leo, on the other hand, was yelling something about how "you can't contain the Super-sized McShizzle." Calypso just hit her boyfriend, telling him to knock it off, but her eyes revealed that she was just as alarmed with the news as the rest of us.

Chiron quieted the crowd once again. "The gods believe that this is for your utmost safety, and I'm inclined to second their opinion."

"Is Gaea rising again?" A small voice piped up. I recognized the girl as Piper's little sister, Lacy.

"No, it is not about Gaea. She will not come back for another couple centuries thanks to the efforts of our campers." Leo muttered something about a 'Queen Dirt Face,' causing Calypso to snicker.

"Then why are we being locked up? Is there some other crazy trying to take over the world?" Mark, a son of Aries, asked angrily.

Chiron sighed. "I believe it is just a precaution. The gods are a little paranoid after the recent wars." Thunder grumbled in the distance.

"What about Percy?" This time the voice was my own. Hearing the name of their missing leader, the campers' moods visibly plummeted. Their anger seemed to be sucked out of their bodies, only to be replaced with sadness. Seeing this, Chiron rushed to answer.

"Lady Artemis and Lord Apollo are searching America for him. They are doing all they can to find him." I clenched my jaw to keep from retorting. Minerva had already told me that the gods couldn't find Percy anywhere. I doubted that the twins would be able to locate him, despite their tracking expertise. The others weren't totally convinced either. Chiron just shook his head sadly, admitting defeat.

"That is all, heroes. If you have anymore questions you wish to ask, I will be in my office." Then he trotted away, his shoulders sagging. I narrowed my gray orbs: Chiron knew more than he was letting on.

Contemplating whether to chase after the centaur and demand answers, I decided not to. He looked to be in deep thought, and my own mind was already taxed from the emotional whirlpool I'd gotten sucked into today. Maybe I would catch him tomorrow. Instead, I turned to my friends. "I'm going to head to my cabin. Bye, guys."

The four waved their goodbyes to me as I walked in the direction of Cabin 3. Though Poseidon's Cabin was not inherently mine, ever since a little over four months ago I had been sleeping there. It was true that by Camp Half-Blood's rules demigods of different parentage were forbidden from sleeping in the same cabin, especially a couple. But the gods had made an exception for Percy and I, albeit grudgingly. They had only acquiesced when Dionysius told them that we would probably hop aboard the Crazy Train if they didn't do something to improve our mental health.

Now, I pulled open the door, the smell of the sea wafting up to greet my nostrils. It sent a pang of nostalgia through me, the scent reminding me of the times with a certain missing someone. Slowly, I walked over to sit on my bed. It was the one closest to the door. Percy's was right next to it, as one night we had shoved the bunks closer together so that they were practically touching, and Tyson's was on the other side of Percy's bed. I flopped back gracelessly, my hand clutching my beaded necklace. Absentmindedly, I played with the trident clay bead - the one commemorating Percy's first year at camp - rubbing it between my fingers.

What were the gods up to? Why had they chosen now, of all times, to put both camps on a lock-down? They hadn't done that when the Goddess of the Earth was awakening, so this must be pretty serious. I wondered if it had any connection to Percy's kidnapping, or if it was merely a coincidence.

_Coincidence? Yeah, right. Since when was Percy's luck _that_ good?_

Just as my eyelids started to droop from exhaustion, something in the corner of the room caught my attention. I sat up, immediately on the alert. Then I noticed that it was just a rainbow shimmering above the saltwater fountain, and my muscles relaxed somewhat. Standing up, I cautiously made my way over to the IM. The image cleared, and suddenly I was staring at an image of Hazel. Her face was dirty and a long scratch marred her cheek, like she had just gotten out of battle.

"Hazel?" I asked.

"Oh, Annabeth. Glad that worked." She muttered breathlessly. Frank came up beside her, his face as battle-worn as the daughter of Pluto's.

"Hey, Annabeth, nice to see you." Frank waved, though his eyes were wide with fright. My mind was racing.

"Did you find him?" I asked, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. Hazel bit her lip, her eyes watering slightly.

"Not exactly." She murmured. Then, she lifted both of her hands into view. In one, was a well-worn leather, beaded necklace. And in the other, was a familiar, black ballpoint pen.

* * *

**A/N: Oh no, the camps are going on lock-down?! What's with that? Okay, you guys can probably take a guess from what you learned from the Olympian's POV, but still. And ooh, Frank and Hazel make an appearance! What information do they have in store for us? All in good time.**

**Anyways, remember the little pig-boy that died a few chapters back? Well, Piglet's parent still hasn't been guessed yet! So, no to Ares and Aphrodite. Whoever is the first to guess correctly gets a chapter dedicated to them. :D**

**Lastly, if you guys have any specific things you want to happen in this fic, feel free to tell me! I have a rough outline of where I want it to go, but I'm more than willing to listen to suggestions. After all, you guys are the ones that are reading it. **

**That's all for now, folks! Next up: Percy.**

**~Wrendsor **


	12. B1: Chapter XII

**A/N: So, the chapter you've all been waiting for! I hope I don't disappoint. **

**This chapter is officially dedicated to** intertwingular** for correctly guessing Piglet's godly parent. It is in fact Demeter, awesome job! In Greek mythology, when Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, her footprints got trampled by pigs so that Demeter had no way to find her. Because of this, Demeter always hated pigs, and people would sacrifice them to her in recompense for what they did.**

**Anyways, on to the story! **

* * *

Perseus

**Pain**. It was a general term. It meant the feeling after stubbing your toe - that sharp twinge that runs through your body as your little toe hits a side-table and causes you to mutter every curse word you can stream into one breath. It was also the feeling of getting stabbed right through the stomach - that one second that everything freezes before blinding, white-hot _pain_ pours through your every nerve. It could also stand for emotional pain - the feeling of heartbreak or betrayal. The mental pain that your mind mistakes for physical.

Of course, I had experienced the whole range of pain. From the sharp burn of a paper cut, to the excruciating agony of a volcanic eruption, to the back-stabbing pain of a friend's betrayal in the form of a scorpion sting. My demigod life made pain an everyday occurrence. It was normal for me, and for all half-bloods. It was basically a given - a universal law or something like that.

However, I had never experienced pain like this before. It encompassed my entire body - my entire _being_. It was more than just bone deep; it went down to my very genes. It was written in my DNA: adenine; thiamine; guanine; cytosine; and piercing, mind-numbing, crippling _pain_. That might be too many words for one genetic base, though. They'd probably just shorten it to P. Agony would have worked better, but of course they already had an A, so two A's would just get confusing.

My thoughts were a jumbled mess. It was hard to think about anything other than '_Schiiiiiiisssst_.' I vaguely remembered being dumped back in a cage, but everything was too blurry to focus on. How much time had passed since Dr. Freaky pumped me full of that strange serum stuff? I had no clue, but I thought I'd maybe passed out a few times since then. Speaking of passing out, it sounded like Elysium right now.

Another wave of agony rolled over me. I had to bite my tongue to keep from squirming. Moving any part of my body just made the pain intensify. I might have whimpered or something (a very manly whimper, mind you), because my ears suddenly picked up a slight noise from somewhere behind me.

"C'mon, Perccce. Pleasssse be okay." The voice sounded muffled through my cotton-stuffed ears. My mind scrambled to place it. After a few blank seconds, it finally clicked. Alazne. And it sounded like she was crying.

I took a small breath (it was all my lungs could manage) before bracing myself. Then, I slowly squinted my eyes. Though the only light source was the dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling, it still felt like daggers to my sensitive eyes. I winced, but kept them open, blinking slowly against the blinding light. When my eyes adjusted, I let out a groan. Of course I would be facing the wrong direction! Gritting my teeth, I slowly uncurled myself from the fetal position. My body screamed at me to stop - to just lay on the floor and wait for Thanatos to take me away - but I ignored it. I'd never been one to follow directions anyway.

Slowly, carefully, I managed to twist myself around in the cramped iron crate without screaming. Unshed tears distorted my vision, but I blinked them away. The blurry form of my reptile friend appeared before me in her usual cage diagonal from mine.

I tried to speak, to assure her that I was alright, but I couldn't. My mouth felt cemented shut, like I had swallowed the entire Sahara desert. I didn't think it was possible to be this thirsty. I suddenly felt sorry for all the kids in Africa that didn't have clean drinking water; dehydration was a terrible way to die.

Ali apparently saw my predicament. Her slitted eyes blinked at me through the bars of her cage, watching my stiff movements. Seeing that I wasn't on the brink of death, her tears came to a stop. She sniffled and brought a hand up to wipe her eyes, smearing her dirt-streaked face. "You've been like that for almost a day now. I thought you were gonna die!" Her bottom lip quivered.

I swallowed, nearly choking on the lump that formed in my throat. Pain continued to course through my veins, but I managed to lock it in the back closet of my mind. Still not being able to speak, I gave the snake-girl a sympathetic look.

"They mussst've put some kinda DNA in you. That'sss usually what happenss after about a week." Ali answered my unsaid questions. I shivered at her words. The whitecoats had done a ton of tests before this one. They had poked, prodded, and injected me with too many unidentifiable syringes to count. But somehow, what Alazne said made this all so much more real. This wasn't just some run-of-the-mill monster kidnapping that I would eventually walk away from and forget years down the line. No, now I was mutated - my genes spliced with some random animal's. Now, there was no walking away. I would always be a mutant. Even if there were no outward signs, I would always know. Of course, I was used to being a genetic freak. I mean, come on, _demigod_ here; that's pretty much the mother of all genetic freaks. But now, some wackjobs had put an animal's DNA inside me. It made me feel...wrong - unclean, somehow. Like I was no longer Percy Jackson, hero of Olympus, but rather something... lesser.

My breath caught in my throat. Ali must have read my thoughts, because her face turned empathetic. "I'm sssorry thiss happened to you, Percy. You're a really nicce person, and thosse are hard to come by around here. But, thiss isn't the end of it. You ssaid so yoursself, we're gonna get out of here. Right?" Her eyes were pleading with me to answer, to reassure her that yes, this wasn't the end. That we could still escape and have freedom once again. That she could go back to her mom in Arizona. That I could go back to my own mom, and Annabeth, and Grover, and the rest of my friends at camp.

I couldn't ruin her hopes - her dreams of a better, cage-less life. So, I nodded, ignoring the sharp pain that raced up my spine as I did so. "'Course we 're, Al." The words passed my lips in a breathless whisper, somehow managing to not rip out my vocal cords.

She smiled in return. It made a wave of homesickness wash over me. I wished to be at camp surrounded by my friends and family. Ali was also a half-blood, even if she didn't know it. Maybe I could take her with me?

An image of little Alazne singing with the rest of the Apollo cabin during the evening campfire filled my head, her serpentine humming harmonizing perfectly with her siblings' voices. I could see myself sitting by the fire, an arm around my girlfriend as she laid her head on me, her hair looking like spun gold in the firelight. Our friends sat around us: Grover, freshly back from his Lord of the Wild duties, playing his reed pipes along with the song; Jason messing with the feathers in Piper's hair as the daughter of Aphrodite sat on his lap; Calypso urging Leo to put his toys away and come dance with her, only to scold him when he finally did so because his hands were supposed to stay on her _waist_; Nico sitting grumpily to the side, acting like he would rather be anywhere but there, when he was actually just sneaking glances at Will as he sang with his cabin-mates. In my mind's eye, Frank and Hazel were also there, because gods-dammit it was my vision, so the Romans could be there if I wanted! The daughter of Pluto laid next to her brother, her hand resting on a dog that looked suspiciously Frank-like.

I suddenly realized how much I wanted that picture to be real - how much I would pay so that all my friends were safe and sound and happy. I would give anything for it. We had lived in fear for so long; I just wanted us to be able to settle and have a normal life. Or as normal of lives as children of the gods could have. Couldn't the Fates see that we deserved retirement?

My vision was shattered as another spike of pain hit me. I gasped. It felt like a drakon was clawing at my back, it's razor-sharp talons digging into the soft flesh right between my shoulder-blades. My left fist clenched at the bars of the cage as I tried to hold in my screams. Wet, hot tears streamed down my face, their saltiness stinging my cracked lips.

Ali noticed my sudden shift in demeanor. "Percccy?" She asked nervously. I opened my mouth to reply, but what came out instead was a hair-raising scream. I didn't know how I managed that volume when I could barely even speak. Apparently I had been holding back.

Pain. Pain was everywhere. White dots danced in my eyes. It felt like my muscles were being torn from my bones. My shoulders were on fire, like they had decided to take another dip in the Styx. It hurt. Everything hurt. Vaguely, I was aware of Ali's calls for help, but I knew that no one was coming to help me. They hadn't helped the dying pig-boy; why would I be any different? All coherent thought stopped after that as the agony drowned me.

Minutes passed, though it could've been hours or days for all I knew. Time didn't matter; all there was, was pain. It was like what I expected Luke had felt after he stabbed himself in his Achilles spot. But, mine was in my lower back, not the upper. Not to mention that the curse had been washed away when I crossed the little Tiber River in Camp Jupiter. Maybe that had only got rid of the invincibility and not the mortal weakness?

However, if that was the case, I would have died awhile ago. One of the Arai curses had been a stab in the back. Though I doubt the person who cursed it had meant an _actual_ stab in the back, the Arai had taken it to mean so. The result had been a knife-wound right where my Achilles spot used to be. I remember it hurting worse than it should've. At the time, I had chalked it up to it being the result of the Arai's curse, but maybe it was because that area was now more sensitive than normal? If so, that would suck. Big time.

My thoughts were ripped from me once again as the tide of pain rolled over me. It was stronger than the last, which I hadn't thought was possible. My skin felt about ready to split open. I couldn't even form sound anymore, my mouth open in a silent scream. Alazne didn't have this problem. She was yelling things at me, but my ears were too overwhelmed to listen.

"Percccy, it'ss gonna be okay. You're gonna be fine! Pleassse don't die." Though I couldn't understand the words, her tone was desperate.

Another spike of pain racked me. This time, over Ali's stressed voice, I could hear skin tearing. The snake-kid gasped, then doubled her efforts in trying to get through to me. However, I wasn't paying attention to her - I couldn't. The only brain cells I had left were devoted on trying to make the agony bearable (they were failing). I could feel the flesh between my shoulder-blades rip open. Warm, sticky liquid flowed down from the spot, staining what was left of my tattered shirt red.

My eyes were squeezed shut, and I was curled in a ball on my side. The hard metal was cool on my cheek, but I hardly felt it. Loud voices and stomping feet buzzed in my ears like annoying gnats. I wanted them to go away - wanted everything to go away. The door to my cage squeaked open, feeling like a drill against my skull. Rough hands grabbed my shoulder and yanked. I yelped as the fiery pain spread across my back. I couldn't take it. I wanted - no, needed - it to end. Finally, my mind just shut down.

* * *

**I wasn't sure how long **I had been out of it for. In fact, I wasn't even aware that I had been out of it. My mind was like the peanut butter that my brother, Tyson, was so obsessed with. And not the smooth kind either - it was more like Skippy's Super Chunk peanut butter, extra crunchy.

The first sense to come back to me was touch (I almost wished it hadn't). I was lying on my stomach. There was something hard and sturdy beneath me, my cheek pressed against its cool surface. A...metal table, maybe? Definitely wasn't my soft bunk at camp. What really stuck out to me was how much my body ached. It felt like Clarisse had decided to use me as a punching bag again. The pain was centered between my shoulder-blades, where I could feel a heavy weight pressing down on me.

Sound was next in line, though there really wasn't much to hear. The rasping noise of my ragged breaths made me wonder if I had pneumonia or something. I could hear the wetness rattling around in my lungs. Seriously, that couldn't be healthy. With each huff, the expelled air blew at my shaggy bangs (when had they gotten that long? Annabeth would probably be badgering me to get a haircut), tickling my nose.

Smell finally decided to make its appearance. Sucking in another breath, I almost gagged at the scents that filled my nostrils. Harsh chemicals attacked me, the strong smell of antiseptics causing bile to rise in my throat. Was I in the hospital or something? Maybe it was for the pneumonia... But, wouldn't some ambrosia and nectar heal that right up?

Images suddenly filtered into my head. The School. I was in the School.

My eyes flew open (_hellooo_ sight). The glaring fluorescent lights disarmed me. On instinct, I raised an arm to try to shield my sensitive eyes. It surprised me even more when my arm actually moved like I wanted it to. I froze, blinking at my limb like a confused owl. Why wasn't I strapped down? The School always had me shackled, no matter what they planned to do, probably because I had a tendency to fight back when I wasn't. My questions were answered when a voice spoke up from somewhere behind me. A voice I recognized. A voice I despised.

"If you are wondering why you are not restrained, it's because strapping you down prone in your condition would have resulted in suffocation." It was Mette, her voice as pretentious as usual. I wasn't completely sure what prone meant, but I assumed that it meant lying on my stomach. At least that question had been cleared up; now onto the other nine hundred.

I tried for a retort, but ended up nearly coughing out my lungs. Phlegm covered my hand, tinged with red speckles. "Ah, that would be one of the unexpected side effects. It seems that you've contracted pulmonary edema due to your body's response to the recent injection."

Of course, I had no idea what pulmona-something was. Hopefully it was contagious. I wondered if I'd have to just breathe in her direction or rub the spit from my hand on her for Dr. Loco to catch it. That could be my payback for her kidnapping me, and drugging me up. I mean, all those drugs could _not_ be sanitary, or legal.

I finally wiped my hand on the side of my pants. I was still dressed in my ruined garments, the fabric stiff with flaking blood. It brought my mind back to what had happened just before I had passed out: how something had been ripping apart my back. I could feel the heaviness of something there. It was pressing me further down into the hard metal 'bed', crushing me under its weight. The muscles surrounding my shoulders were killing me.

"Wha - what is that?" I murmured. Though I couldn't see her, I could feel Mette smirking. It hadn't slipped her mind that I forgot to tack on a new nickname at the end of my sentence, but the truth was that even those three words felt like razors against my vocal cords. My lungs threatened to seize up again.

Margaretta didn't answer quickly. Instead, she took her time, her high-heels clicking against the tiles as she prowled over to me. I could feel her presence right beside me, hovering. "Why don't I just show you?" She whispered, her lips right next to my ear. I gritted my teeth at her closeness; my neck was tingling like crazy. Maybe I had Spidey-sense now?

Dr. Lavelle put a hand in her pocket and pushed a button. Immediately, the wall that I was faced towards started to rise, revealing a mirror behind it. My breath caught in my throat as I could finally see myself for the first time since my capture.

From my horizontal position on the hospital bed, you could almost mistake me for a zombie. I had lost a lot of weight, which was saying something because I really hadn't had all that much to lose since my vacation to hell. My ribs could be seen through the tears in what was left of my shirt, and some of the muscle that had been built up from years of hard training had wasted away. My usual shaggy black hair had grown to such a length that even Nico would've cut it by now, and it was all tangled and dirty from not being brushed or properly washed. Dirt and grim was caked on my skin to a point where I'd probably have to take five showers just to rid myself of it. My eyes had also sunken in and had a dull, unhealthy shine. It could be from a fever, though I couldn't help but remember one of Annabeth's ramblings about a food disorder. She had said that people with anorexia tended to have shallow skin; brittle hair; and dull, zombie-like eyes caused by lack of nutrients. With my only meal being a slop of mush once a day, I could see that that might be my issue now, too.

All of that wasn't what caused me to gape like a dying fish, though. No, it was what was on my back that did it in for me. A dark, blanket-like _thing_ was resting on my back, the source of the strange heaviness. Seeing my expression, Mette's lips twisted into a cruel grin, making her look truly like an evil mad scientist.

"The prince of the Sea, cursed to dwell in the Sky. How...poetic." She sneered. I had stopped paying attention, however. My eyes were zeroed in on the space beyond my back.

What I had originally assumed was one thing, was actually _two_ things. Two large, black, feathery things. My mind couldn't believe what was clearly right in front of my eyes. It refused to believe it. What I was seeing wasn't possible. It was totally, completely, utterly insane. Because, spreading out from the space between my shoulder-blades...were two, three-foot long _wings._

* * *

**A/N: And, ta-dah! Percy has wings! What trouble does this bode for the son of Poseidon? How will a certain theatrical sky god take it? Don't worry, his wings will not stay at three-feet long. Not even I am that cruel. I just imagine that it would be sort of improbable for hugeass wings to just explode out of his back fully-formed, ya know? Not t mention who painful that would be. So, little wings it is! For now...**

**What has the flock been doing while this has been happening? What happened to the Romans? And will Percy ever escape? Well, I'll answer one of those questions in the next chapter. Until then...**

**Peace out**

**~Wrendsor**


	13. B1: Chapter XIII

**A/N: Early update? Yes, please. **

**And now we get to find out what the flock has been up to. Yay! **

* * *

Maximum

"How can you still be eating?"

"Whad? Dis if like, ma third flice."

"More like your third _pie_."

"Whadever. Id'f really good." I muttered through a mouthful of apple pie. Fang looked on, his face in half disgust and half awe as he watched me stuff my face. I might've been on my ninth piece by now; honestly, I had lost track after six. It wasn't my fault that Virginia had the best Golden Delicious Apple Pie known to (wo)man. Hey, I was a growing bird-kid, I _deserved_ to eat my entire weight in pie.

"Here, try some." I said, stabbing my fork through the glorious flaky crust and shoving it towards Fang. He made a face at me.

"I'm good, thanks. Not a fan of apples."

"Oh, right. You're on a strict meat-only diet. I forgot." I rolled my eyes.

"No, I eat ice cream too." The mutant replied seriously, scooping up a spoonful of his own desert - chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and mounds chocolate fudge - and plopping it in his mouth.

"Sorry, my mistake." I leaned back into the booth, my wings pressed up against the cushioned seat. Before the bite of apple pie could fall off my fork, I ate it. The wonderful blend of tangy and sweet flavors burst on my tongue.

_Talk about a slice of heaven._

It was a typical late-January evening in Virginia - meaning that it was pretty freaking cold, and the sky looked like it would downpour at any minute. Virginia enjoyed to gift its inhabitants with winter storms. As one of its temporary residents, I could say that those gifts were not appreciated. At all. Especially for a certain flock of mutant bird-kids who would rather not get struck by lightning while flying, thank you very much. Luckily, Mother Nature was feeling generous today; the temperature was decent enough to get away with a windbreaker, and the clouds didn't seem to be bursting at the seams just yet.

Fang and I decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and made the best of the situation: we went on a date. Our second date ever, though the first one had been interrupted by M-Geeks. So yeah, I had been a little nervous.

What?! Maximum Ride, _nervous_? Never! Yeah, right. I was quaking in my boots. A good old fashioned fight to the death I could handle, not even a flinch; but when it came down to normal teenager things, like a date or a _school dance _(shiver), I was way out of my element. Being raised in a cage tended to do that to a person.

Of course, the date was with Fang. _Fang_, of all people! I had grown up with the guy - knew him better than I knew myself. So, why was it that every time I looked at him, my knees shook a little and my heart raced? Why did I turn into a stuttering mess every time he gave me one of his rare smiles? It was so frustrating! If this was what love felt like (if that's what it was), then why did people like it so much? I was ready to tear my hair out.

"I guess this is sort of like our anniversary." Fang interrupted my thoughts. I almost choked on my dessert.

"What now?" I sputtered out.

Fang smirked, his eyes filled with mirth. Wait, mirth? Fang and mirth did _not_ go together. "Yeah, anniversary. This is same day you first kissed me."

My jaw dropped, giving him a not-so-pleasant view of my chewed food. "You - you remembered the date?"

At this, Fang just shrugged. "One of the nurses told me when I woke up." His words made me flash back to the day I'd first kissed him. When he was dying, bleeding out on the ground, and I'd shoved my lips onto his. It had been a spur of the moment thing - I mean, I'd thought he was going to _die. _I hadn't been thinking of any of the consequences, such as the fact that we had had company at the time. In my defense, half of the onlookers had been _blind_, but still.

Not knowing how to reply, I shoveled another fork-full of pie in my mouth and chewed. We sat in silence for awhile, but that was fine with me. Fang was never the talker - more of the silent, brooding type. Nudge more than made up for his not talking, though. She never closed that motormouth of hers.

Suddenly, the chiming of bells caught both of our attentions. Our eyes snapped to the door, where a woman was walking in. She took a seat at the table closest to our booth, giving us a clear view of her. When I finally got a good look at her, I had to stop my mouth from dropping again.

She was gorgeous - absolutely stunning. Even I, who couldn't care less about looks, found myself getting a little jealous. Her dress - which was over-the-top formal, by the way - complimented her _many _curves. She had the face many supermodels would have died for: high cheekbones, full lips, arched eyebrows, and a straight nose. It was like looking at one of those statues at the art museum. She also had red hair; like the Red-haired Wonder that was all googly-eyed for Fang, and a certain scientist who apparently liked her guys to be over five years younger than her.

I glanced at Fang from the corner of my eye. He hadn't been as successful as me in keeping his cool. His eyes were wide and his spoon was frozen halfway to his mouth. The ice cream dripped onto the table, but his attention remained on the beautiful stranger.

The lady must have felt our staring. She turned her head and looked in our direction. I was lost in the color of her eyes; they seemed to change like a kaleidoscope. When her gaze finally stopped on us, her face lit up.

"Oh, hello there, darlings." She purred, her voice like a melody. Seriously, how could one person be so genetically blessed?

"Um, hi." I said awkwardly, seeing as Fang was still unable to speak. His eyebrows bunched in confusion, looking at the woman like he needed glasses or something.

"Wonderful weather, isn't it? Winter is my favorite season - because of Valentine's Day, of course." The lady smiled, revealing perfect teeth behind her perfect lips.

"It's a little too cold for my liking." I muttered.

"Nonsense! That just gives you the excuse to cuddle up with that special someone." I remembered back in Antarctica when Fang and I were squished together to conserve what little body heat we had left while trying to keep three others alive as well. I shuttered. No, thank you; I'd take heat any day.

"You two make a cute couple, by the way." The woman said, breaking my train of thought. She winked at us.

"Uh, thanks. I guess." I managed to say. Fang had finally set his spoon back in his bowl, shaking his head a little as if to clear it.

"Are you celebrating anything special, perhaps?" She asked, twirling a strand of strawberry hair around a slender finger. The motion mesmerized me for a moment.

"Anniversary. Of our first kiss." Fang was the one to respond. His eyes were also trained on the strand of hair as it curled around the stranger's finger. I restrained myself from kicking him under the table.

"How adorable! Ah, young love; it's always been one of my favorites. Second to tragedies of course." She said sweetly. My mind was caught on the 'tragedies' part, though.

"That's, erm, nice." I was realizing that I was _not _a social butterfly. Even if I wasn't as quiet as Fang always was, I still wasn't the best at human interaction. With the flock, sure. Anyone else? Nada. The lady seemed to be oblivious to my discomfort, however.

"Oh, tragedies were always so _romantic._ All of my favorite love stories are tragedies. There's Paris and Helen, Orpheus and Eurydice, Perseus and Annabeth -"

"I'm pretty sure it was Perseus and Andromeda. And their story wasn't really that tragic." I muttered, thinking back to when Jeb had taught us some Greek myths.

She waved a hand at me flippantly. "Same difference." Fang and I shared a glance, both of us thinking along the same lines. _Who _is_ this lady? _

Finally, our waitress walked over, saving us from our distress. She handed Fang the bill before walking away with our dishes, and he quickly put the money down on the table. We both turned back to the woman, who was now daintily sipping a cup of tea.

"Well, goodbye Max. Fang. Hopefully your story doesn't end tragically." She tilted her head at us.

My eyes narrowed. We had never said our names. "Who are you?"

"Me? You can call me Venus."

"Like the planet?" Fang lifted an eyebrow.

"No, dear. The goddess of love." And with that, she turned to her tea, obviously dismissing us. Fang and I couldn't have left sooner.

* * *

"What was that all about?" I asked breathlessly. Right after we had calmly left the diner, we had booked it out of there. The encounter with the weird lady had spooked us. Being the paranoid recombinant teens that we were, someone spouting off our names like that was a sure sign that it was time to leave. It usually meant getting recaptured by the School for the umpteenth time, which was something we would like to avoid.

Now, we were about a little over a mile away. Our feet had carried us to the coastline, so we were resting on a short pier that overlooked the loading docks. Seagulls squawked from overhead, and fishing boats floated over the rough sea. The wind whipped at our thin coats, causing us to have to zip them up to avoid someone accidentally spotting our wings underneath. From somewhere above us, the sky rumbled - a sure sign that a storm was brewing.

"No idea." Fang replied, pushing his shaggy hair away from his face. It was getting long again - passed his shoulders now. We were probably all due for a haircut; Angel kept complaining of hers getting in her eyes. I marked it down on my mental to-do list.

I grunted at him. "You didn't seem to have a problem with her, though. With all your staring." My tone was sharp, and I admit, even to me it sounded like something a clingy, jealous girlfriend would say.

Fang frowned at my accusation. He shifted his weight to his other foot; if not for the coat, his wings probably would've ruffled. "It wasn't like that." He muttered, though his downcast eyes made me think differently.

"Oh?"

Fang looked uncomfortable, which was pretty un-Fang-like. "It was... She just... Ugh, I don't know! It was like her image kept on shifting or whatever. One second she looked like a supermodel and the next..." He trailed off.

"Yes?" I urged, crossing my arms over my chest.

Fang finally raised his dark eyes to meet my brown ones. "And the next she looked like you. Well, an older, girlier version of you, but still."

I huffed. "She didn't look a thing like me. If anything, she looked like _Dr. Amazing_."

Now Fang looked angry. Good, I could deal with angry. "What are you talking about? Brigid doesn't have brown hair."

"Yeah, and neither did that Venus lady!" I scowled, matching his expression.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. She had light brown hair like yours."

"You must be pretty blind then. She obviously had red hair, like a certain Red-Haired Wonder."

"Will you stop bringing them up? I don't bring up Sam after every conversation!"

"Sam has nothing to do with this!" I didn't know when we had started to raise our voices, but I realized that now we were practically yelling. People walking by looked at us strangely before hurrying away, not wanting to get caught up in some 'teenage drama'. To make matters worse, it started to rain. Great, just freaking _great_.

Fang opened his mouth to prepare for another retort, but suddenly his entire body stiffened. My anger was washed away with fear. "What is it?" I asked from the corner of my mouth.

"Behind you, five o'clock. Four - no, six of 'em." Fang whispered back.

"Do you think Venus sent them?"

He shrugged slightly. "Not a clue."

I quickly debated whether to do an Up and Away, but decided there were too many bystanders around. We were supposed to be on the down low, and I didn't think two flying kids on the front page of the newspaper would be very inconspicuous. So, with flight gone, all that was left was to fight. That was okay with me, though. High school was very taxing, and beating people up was a known stress reliever.

"What are they? More M-Geeks? Flyboys?" I asked quietly, trying to spot the eight figures in the corner of my eye.

Fang shook his head. "No, don't think so. They look more like Pro Wrestlers."

"Any chance that there's a wrestling convention around here?" He raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed. "Of course not. Just our luck. So, wanna just go at them head on?"

"They've already spotted us, so there's not much else we could do. Maybe if we rush them, they'd be caught by surprise." Fang replied. I nodded; it was as good as a plan as we were going to get.

Without another thought, I did a quick one-eighty and spotted them. Fang was right in his description; the six guys were _huge_. Each was well over six foot and looked like they could lift ten tons. They wore black suits over their ripped muscles and dark sunglasses, making them look like extremely buff super-spies. My analysis of them lasted half a second before I sprinted full force towards the nearest one, only a couple yards away.

The man was taken off-guard when a fist suddenly plowed into his face, his sunglasses falling broken to the floor. The force of my punch was so hard that it made my teeth rattle as the shock raced up my arm. The agent guy, however, quickly regained his senses. His face was confused for a moment before his eyes locked on me. A cruel smile contorted his thin lips.

"Maximum Ride." His voice was deep and growly.

"At your service." I responded, throwing another punch. This time he caught my fist in his large mitt. I scowled, gritting my teeth against the pain shooting through my captured limb. Just as I was about to attempt a move to get him to release my fist, he started _changing_. His face shifted to a wolfy mask, and black hair sprouted from his skin. Claws extended from his fingers, digging into my hand. I gasped.

No, it couldn't be. Itex had murdered - expired, whatever - all of the wolf mutants. But, staring straight at me with glowing red eyes was undeniably an Eraser. Except, this Eraser was obviously new and improved. The previous generation of Erasers could've passed for models, but this one looked more like a seven foot linebacker.

A couple feet to the side, Fang was being ganged up on by two Erasers. One of them was holding him while the other used him as a punching bag. As I watched, the bird-kid managed to stomp on the first's foot, causing him to howl in pain and loosen his grip. Fang used this to his advantage and quickly dropped to the floor just as the second Eraser wound up for another punch. His fist landed square into the first's stomach, causing his comrade to fall on his butt. Using his momentum, Fang swiped out a leg, knocking the standing Eraser off his feet.

Seeing that Fang had a nice handle on things, I turned back to the Eraser that was currently cutting off the circulation to my hand. "So, the Erasers are back in business, huh? I'd thought you'd all been, you know, _erased_."

The Eraser growled at me, his lip curling to reveal sharpened fangs. While he was still distracted, I used my free hand to jab him in the throat, quick as a viper. The mutant graciously let go of my hand as his face turned red and he started choking. Before he could catch his breath, I clapped my hands together – with his head in between of course. He dropped like a rock.

Turning back around to Fang, I saw that he had dropped another Eraser and was working on another. That left only one more mutant, who just so happened to be racing right towards me. I smiled, settling into a defensive position with my fists raised. Being the stupid brute that he was, the Eraser came at me swinging. I managed to block two punches, but the next one caught me right in the jaw. As my entire body wheeled to the side, I completed the turn and, using my momentum, kicked him right in the sternum. The Eraser's breath left him in a huff, but he remained standing. Then I was once again locked in a battle of life or death.

After trading a couple sharp blows, I finally managed a round-house kick to his face, knocking the wolf-mutant out cold. My hand wiped at the blood dripping from the corner of my mouth from a well-placed punch.

"Max, you good?" Fang asked from a few paces away. I nodded, rubbing my hands on my grubby pants.

"Well, that was an _awesome_ date."

Fang snorted, walking over to stand beside me. He was limping a bit, but he would live. "Better than the first."

"Ugh, definitely. Why do people always want to crash our dates? It's like the world is against us or something!" I muttered angrily.

"The world, no. But the School? Itex? Most definitely." Fang responded. We lapsed into silence after that, staring at the collapsed figure in front of us.

After a few seconds, I found my voice again. "I'd thought Itex had killed off all the Erasers a while ago. You know, with Ari." My voice cracked on my half-brother's name, who had died right when I was really starting to care for him. If Fang noticed, he didn't comment.

"New generation, maybe? They definitely look tricked out."

"Yeah, but _why_? Were the robots just not cutting it for them anymore?"

Fang eyebrows creased in thought. He frowned. "I don't know. But we should probably leave before more find us." I nodded in agreement.

* * *

After finding a secluded area big enough to accommodate both of our wingspans, we took off. The house was only about ten minutes away, but we made it in eight. However, the sight that beheld us when we returned was enough to freeze us in our tracks. It looked like a battleground. Chunks of yard were ripped out of the ground from violent explosions, the walls of the house were riddled with holes that looked suspiciously like bullet-holes, and unconscious half-wolf bodies were sprawled all over the place.

Fang and I dropped quickly to the ground. As soon as our feet touched the grass, the wooden door swung open and the remainder of our flock rushed out. Nudge was clutching Angel's hand, both of their faces covered in grime but happy after seeing us alive. The Gasman and Iggy were quick to follow, looking equally roughed up. Iggy had a cut right above his eyebrow that was dripping blood down his face, and Gazzy was holding his left arm close to his body, but they both had wide smiles across their faces.

"Max, you should've seen it! It was awesome! The Erasers were all like 'BANG, BANG, BANG.' And then we were all like 'BOOOOM, BLAM, WHAMO!'" The blond boy gushed, making explosion motions with his hands and perfect imitations of bomb noises.

"Yeah, Max! We totally destroyed them! Gaz and I mixed some fertilizer with toilet cleaner and aluminum foil, then BAM – instant explosion." Iggy exclaimed.

I smiled at the two delinquents. Was it wrong to be proud that two boys under my care had built (and used) a working bomb? Probably. Oh well, I wasn't much of a role model anyway. "That's great guys."

"Max?" Angel's soft voice spoke up, "Were those Erasers?" She looked at me with her big blue eyes. I couldn't help but feel a lump form in my throat.

"Looks like it. Though they're more like the Erasers two-point-oh." I answered.

"But didn't the School, like, expire them all a while ago? I thought that Flyboys were the new thing. Or maybe it was the M-Geeks? Though we did go through a lot of those pretty easily the last time we fought…" Nudge rambled on, her mouth moving faster than I could process.

"Max!" The voice immediately caught my attention. My eyes snapped back to the doorway, where Jeb Batchelder was dashing over to us, his lab coat billowing out behind him.

"You didn't tell me he was here." I muttered to the four. They had the decency to look ashamed.

"Maximum." Jeb called out again, this time from only a few yards away.

"What do _you_ want?" I growled out. Once upon the time, he had been my savior – the guy who had rescued my family and me from our prisons. Now, I couldn't even stand to look at him. It hurt like a fresh wound every time I looked at his face. It was the same face I had worshiped for years, then thought was dead, then thought betrayed us. I still didn't know which side he was on. So, even if he was biologically my father, he was definitely not my dad.

Jeb flinched at my tone, but seriously, what did he expect? Forgiveness? He didn't even think what he did was wrong! So no, I had every right to be angry and resentful towards him. He steeled himself before speaking. "Max, this is serious. They have found you. They want you – all of you – back, and they're willing to do anything to accomplish that."

"Do you think I don't know that? Obviously they found us; look around!"

"Exactly. This was only a fraction of their true force. Which is why we need to leave _right now_."

"We? What do you mean, we? You're not going anywhere with us." I shouted angrily.

Jeb clenched his jaw. "Max, I realize that you are angry at my actions and don't understand why I did what I did-" I scoffed at that, "but you have to be mature about this."

"I don't have to listen to anything you have to say." I crossed my arms over my chest (which was totally mature, by the way). The flock mimicked my stance.

"Max, honey." Another voice spoke up from behind Jeb. My mom had followed him out the door, apparently, but I had just now spotted her. "Please listen to him. I know you don't trust him – that he doesn't deserve it – but you trust me, don't you?"

My shoulders relaxed an inch as my mother's words flowed over me. "Fine," I said curtly, "I'm listening."

Batchelder nodded, taking this as his cue. "There's a safe house set up at this address in Utah. Meet us there in exactly two weeks." He said, handing me a slip of paper. "I have some vital intelligence on the School that we need to discuss. Until then, lay low."

"Wait, why don't you just tell us now?" I asked.

Jeb glanced at his watch nervously. "No time. Now go! More Erasers will be here any minute."

I looked to my mom. "What about you?"

She smiled at me. "We're taking a car to the next town over, and then switching to helicopter. We'll be at the safe house when you get there." She assured.

"Okay. Well, see you then, I guess." I said lamely.

Then the flock and I whipped out our wings and soared into the sunset, our hearts beating out of our chests. What kind of special intel did Jeb have on the School? And why did I have the sinking feeling that we had just dug ourselves into a deeper hole than ever before?

* * *

**A/N: Why is it that no one can ever finish a date in this fanfic without it getting interrupted? Seriously.**

**Anyways, did you like Max and Fang's little meeting with a certain goddess of love? Personally, that was my favorite part to write. Sadly, Max and Fang get into a fight right after (well, two technically), but still. **

**What intel could Jeb have on the School? He made it seem a little ominous... And, the flock is on the run once again! Wow, they can never catch a break.**

**Next update should be in a week, unless I get bored again or feel really inspired. **

**Au revoir!**

**~Wrendsor**


	14. B1: Chapter XIV

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, as promised. However, next week is my finals week so the next update might be a little late.**

* * *

Third Person

**Hazel prided herself on being level-headed.** It was how she got through her tough life - and her second one. Her mom packing up their things to move to Alaska, leaving her almost-boyfriend behind? She handled it. Being used to raise Gaea's eldest giant son from the earth and ultimately sacrificing her life? She stayed strong, for her mother. Coming back to life only to be thrown into a Great Prophesy to defeat the Earth Mother? She barely even batted an eyelash.

However, when Nico and Annabeth had told her that Percy Jackson had been kidnapped? She broke down. After the senate meeting had been dispersed and her brother and friend left for Camp Half-Blood, Frank had taken her hand into his and led her through New Rome. She made it to the edge of the Little Tiber River before the tears started to fall.

Hazel remembered the first time she saw him - when he was running across the highway and despite the ragged state of his clothing, he hadn't had a single mark on his skin. She had mistaken him for a god then. Now, she knew better. Percy Jackson was so much more. He was outrageously powerful, fiercely protective, and undyingly loyal. He was also reckless, sarcastic, carefree, and a dork. But most of all, he was her cousin – one of her closest relatives besides Nico. And now, he was captured by some unknown people. It angered her – that a couple of men could just sweep in and steal Percy away.

The daughter of Pluto angrily wiped at the wetness dripping down her cheeks. Around her, the ground quaked slightly as precious gems surfaced. Frank's quiver strained against him, the golden-tipped arrows trying to escape. Despite the fact that she had gained more control over her powers in the past year, they still reacted to her emotions. And right now, she was drowning in them.

Suddenly, Hazel felt herself being pulled into a soft embrace. She stiffened slightly before realizing that she was pressed against her boyfriend's chest. She melted into his strong arms.

"He'll be okay, Haze. He's Percy." The son of Mars murmured to her. Glancing up, she met his almond brown eyes in her golden ones. They shone with repressed tears, but held a firmness in them that only came with a strong conviction. Despite Frank's own fears, he was trying to reassure her. She loved him for that.

Hazel sniffled before returning Frank's hug. "Yeah, he'll be fine. We'll find him." She responded, her resolve strengthening.

"Now it's our turn to go save his _podex_." Frank said, grinning. Hazel smiled and pulled away from him. Then, they walked hand in hand towards the barracks to get the fifth cohort ready for their rescue mission.

* * *

**Frank had always been an optimist.** Or well, he tried at least. He supposed he got it from his mom, who had always been the 'glass half-full' type of person, unlike his grandmother who was always more logical. Was it weird for a child of the war god to be an optimist? Probably. His Roman siblings definitely didn't share his mindset. And the children of Ares? They thought on a different spectrum altogether. Well, Clarisse was _okay_ \- when she was in a good mood (so basically whenever she was with her boyfriend, Chris). She had been Percy's friend, so she couldn't be _that _bad (of course, everyone was Percy's friend, but still).

However, even Frank was starting to get discouraged after a full week of searching for the missing Percy Jackson with nothing to show for it. At the moment, he was scouting from the skies as a hawk, searching the landscape for any sign of the son of Poseidon. Below him, the dry landscape of California sprawled out, and little ant-sized figures inched through the harsh scrubland. He could barely make out the small form of Hazel atop her horse, Arion, as she led the other five demigods southward. Oversize wolves made a protective circle around them, their brown fur turning copper in the evening light. Lupa had sent seven of her own pack – one for each camper – to help search for Percy. After all, Percy had been a member of Camp Jupiter – a praetor (even if it was only for a day) – and in Lupa's own words, she would not allow one of her 'pups' get captured, even if he was a '_graecus_'.

The group had passed Los Angeles a few hours back and were now well on their way to San Diego. Frank shifted his feathers slightly, changing course with only a few subtle movements. His arms – wings, whatever – were starting to tire, so he was trying to use the light wind to his advantage as much as possible. He wondered how the Fifth Cohort was doing below him. Most had decided to go on foot, besides Hazel who had her magic horse (though Arion liked to disappear from time to time, as he hated going at such a slow pace). Maybe they could set up camp in an hour or two.

Suddenly, the wolf nearest to Hazel stiffened, sniffing the air in front of him. The daughter of Pluto yanked Arion to a stop, causing the horse to huff (and most likely let out a stream of curses), as the other wolves joined in. Frank quickly dove down, shifting back to his human form right before his feet hit the ground. He ran up to the front next to his girlfriend.

"Do you think they found something?" He asked, somewhat out of breath.

Hazel turned to him, her golden eyes glittering in the sunlight. "One way to find out." She held a hand out for him. He took it, pulling himself up onto the horse behind her.

From a couple feet behind them, Gwen climbed onto the back of one of the large wolves, her hands clasped firmly on the beast's scruff. Even though she was technically not in the Fifth Cohort ever since she decided to attend college, she had insisted on going for Percy's sake.

Dakota, the second Centurion of the Fifth along with Hazel, also hopped on the back of a wolf. His hands were shaking as he clasped onto the russet fur. The son of Bacchus had drunk all of his red Kool-Aid a day ago and had yet to restock, so he was probably going through major sugar-withdrawal. It didn't help his sour mood much, though a certain missing demigod could also be the cause of that.

Bobby was also with them. He was the son of Salus and the caretaker of Hannibal, the camp's war elephant. Two other demigods were there as well. The first was an auburn-haired, fifteen-year-old girl named Dairah. Her godly parent was Janus, the two-headed god of doorways and choices. It was pretty obvious too, seeing as she had two different colored eyes – one brown and one blue – and was Bipolar. The last one was Pancho, the fourteen-year-old son of Libertas. His dad was an immigrant from Mexico who had gained the attention of Lady Liberty herself. Because his mom was the goddess of freedom, the young half-blood had demanded to be allowed on the rescue mission, despite the fact that there were more experienced campers from the Fifth that could've gone in his place.

The three of them each settled onto a different wolves' back also. Once everyone was settled, the pack dashed off in the direction of the scent. Frank wondered what they smelled. He knew that monsters could smell a demigod from miles away, so maybe it was the same for Lupa's pack of wolves?

As Frank was lost in his thoughts, the canines and Arion ran across the scrubland at a supernatural speed. It was nowhere near as fast as Arion could run by himself, but it was still faster than a normal animal could sprint. Faster than a sports car could drive, even. The wind whipped passed their bodies, causing Frank to have to wrap his arms around Hazel's waist tightly. Not that he was going to complain about that, but he did not want to fall of the horse at this speed.

After another fifteen minutes of Frank holding on for dear life, Arion came to a brisk halt, almost causing Frank to topple over. As he made his way off the horse, he could hear Hazel's attempts at trying to stifle a giggle. Arion didn't even try to hold in his nicker; Frank was glad that he didn't have to hear the horse's gloating.

"Sooo, this is it? This is where they're hiding Percy?" Dakota asked, clumsily sliding off the back of his wolf. A shaking hand brushed through his thick hair, probably trying to tame it after the wild ride. Frank was glad his own hair was clipped short.

Gwen also hopped off her beast, though she managed to do it much more gracefully. Bobby, Dairah, and Pancho followed her lead and clambered off as well. Hazel dismounted her horse, feeding him a gold nugget that she summoned from the ground.

"Doesn't look like much." Bobby muttered, adjusting the sheath around his waist. Frank had to agree with him. It was just an old, abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere. The chain-link fence surrounding it had several large holes in it, like people broke in a lot.

"What, were you expecting a fortress?" Dairah asked, raising an eyebrow at the son of Salus.

The brown-haired demigod shrugged. "Would make more sense than a run-down building. I mean, this is Percy Jackson we're talking about."

Looking at the factory, Hazel tilted her head. Her hand came up to shield her eyes from the setting sun. "I don't know. It feels…weird, somehow."

"Weird?" Frank questioned.

Hazel's eyebrows scrunched together. "It feels like one of those oasis mirages people see in the desert. As if it's there, but it's not."

"So, you think it's a trap then?" He asked. Hazel paused, her face looking conflicted.

"Of course it's a trap." Pancho muttered, crossing his arms.

Gwen nodded. "I agree with Pancho. If they are keeping Percy here, then there should at least be a few guards."

Dakota scoffed. "A few guards? Did you see Percy battling that giant _by himself_ in New Rome? 'Cause I sure did. They'd need an entire army to keep him here." Frank silently agreed with the son of Bacchus. He'd seen Percy fight against an army of ghosts in Alaska single-handedly and come out on top.

"Even if it's a trap, we still have to go in there. It may be our only chance at finding him," said Hazel, chewing her lip. Frank looked around at the others, watching their expressions turn to determination.

"Well, then lead the way, Praetor Zhang." Pancho fake saluted him. Hearing people call him praetor still made his stomach roll, but it had gotten slightly better over the last few months as he got used to the new title. At least he didn't blush when someone said it anymore.

Frank moved back to the front of the group, followed closely by Hazel and then the others. The wolves flanked them: two on each side and three at the rear. As they got closer to the dilapidated building, Frank unslung his bow from behind his back, grabbing an Imperial Gold-tipped arrow out of his quiver. The other demigods followed his lead; Hazel grabbed her _spatha_, Gwen her own bow, Bobby and Dakota their _gladiuses_, Pancho his spear, and Dairah her twin knives. The seven wolves also got into battle-mode, their fur bristling and fangs barred.

It took them two tense minutes to cross the sparse landscape, pass through a large hole in the fencing, and make it to the front door. It was rusted open, swinging slightly as the wind blew over it. Frank swallowed, carefully nudging it open the rest of the way with a toe. Quickly, his eyes scanned the place for monsters but found it empty, save for a few boxes in one corner and some dusty machinery. He signaled that it was safe for the others to come in, and they filed in after him.

As soon as Day crossed the entryway, she shivered. "I don't like it here. It feels…wrong." She whispered, her throat bobbing as she gulped.

Hazel took a deep breath from beside Frank. "I feel it too, it's almost like Heca–"

Suddenly, Pancho gasped. "Look!" He whisper-shouted, pointing towards the far back of the room. All eyes turned to where his finger was angled. The shadows seemed to all be pooled in that single corner, but despite that, Frank could make out a lone figure. It was the back of a teenage boy, his raven-haired head blindfolded and gagged, and his arms tied roughly behind his back.

"Percy?" Gwen murmured, her eyes wide in shock. Her grip on her bow tightened.

Pancho suddenly surged forward, dodging Bobby's attempt at snatching him. The boy probably hated seeing someone tied up, being the son of Freedom and all. Frank had to restrain himself from doing the same. Hazel was right; something about this felt _wrong_. Where were the guards? The monsters? Surely they weren't stupid enough to leave Percy like that. The son of Poseidon could have easily escaped. Which brought up the next question: why hadn't he?

Frank was about to call out to the son of Libertas, but Hazel beat him to it. "Wait, Pancho, it's a trap! It's not real!"

Suddenly, a harsh laugh filled the abandoned factory. Pancho skid to a stop a few meters away from the demigods, and the other Romans lifted their weapons. "You are right, Hazel Levesque. It is a trap; a brilliant one, might I add."

Hazel's grip on her _spatha_ tightened. She gritted her teeth. "Where are you?"

"Why, right in front of you, my dear!" Mist started pooling to the middle of the factory, swirling into a miniature cyclone. With a snap, it vanished, and in its place stood a tall, beautiful woman. Her dark hair fell to her waist, braided with violet jewels and threads of gold. Frank recognized her dress as Greek in style – a chiton, maybe? – that was made of black silk.

Pancho stumbled back, being only a few feet away from her. The lady didn't pay him any attention, however. Her glowing emerald eyes were focused on Hazel. "I had expected more from the young witch that defeated Pasiphae. Ah well, she has always been my lesser. After all, she _did_ fall in love with a bull." Her red lips turned up in a cruel smirk.

Frank felt his hand twitch to his bow as the woman insulted his girlfriend, but a glance from Hazel stopped him from unleashing an arrow. "Who are you?" She asked, her eyes flickering around the room as if sensing something before returning to the strange lady.

The woman, however, only laughed. "I already learned my lesson about that one. Good try, though." Her response surprised Frank, because most people they had met from mythology were just dying to tell everyone their name.

Hazel's face started to look frustrated. Her eyebrows drew together in concentration. Frank wondered what she was doing; then he wondered if maybe he should stall for her. But, he wasn't the best at that. He was terrible at acting and coming up with convincing lies. His performance aboard the Argo II during the pirate raid was proof of that. Before Frank could react, the lady interrupted.

"Foolish girl! I am the Immortal Sorceress, the Inventress of Magic and Spells! You think you have the power to break my illusion?" She asked, angered.

_So much for trying to be anonymous_, Frank thought. Though he still had no clue who she was, she had given them all a hint.

Hazel didn't reply, just concentrated harder. She could feel the Mist around the factory, obscuring everyone's sight. The sorceress huffed. "Fine, if you want to see clearly so badly, then so be it." Then, she snapped her fingers.

Immediately, the fog vanished. Monsters appeared out of seemingly nowhere, surrounding the entire building and blocking the half-bloods in. The witch smirked after seeing the Romans' shocked faces.

"Attack. Leave no one alive." She exclaimed before disappearing in a cloud of Mist.

When the words finally sunk into Frank's brain, the army of monsters was already approaching. He quickly went into praetor mode, barking out orders. "Dakota, Bobby, Pancho: wedge formation. Wolves, make an orb around them. Day and Hazel, you have the flanks. Gwen and I will cover from above."

The Romans quickly followed his orders. Dakota, Bobby, and Pancho formed a tight triangle as the wolves surrounded them. Hazel and Dariah went to both sides, their weapons drawn defensively. Before the enemy line could reach them, Frank transformed into a giant eagle, carefully grabbing Gwen by the shoulders and launching into the air with a couple of down-swipes. A dracanae hissed and tried to grab at Gwen's ankle, but the daughter of Apollo just shot an arrow straight through its eye. The monster disintegrated into dust.

"Set me down over there." She said, nodding her head in the direction of the catwalk that descended from the ceiling, probably used by factory workers once upon a time to reach the larger machines. Frank corrected his body towards the thin strip of flooring and unlatched his talons from Gwen's shoulders. The Roman dropped a few feet before rolling and coming back up to a kneeling position, firing an arrow straight through an empousa that had been about to bite one of the wolves.

"Thanks Frank!" she called before going back to shooting down monsters. Frank cawed in reply, and then soared off to join the fight.

He descended on an unsuspecting dracanae, clawing out her eyes. Before she could react, he quickly moved on to the next monster. The battle became a blur around him. One minute he was an elephant, stampeding through an entire line of Telekhines; and the next he was a lion, ripping out a hellhound's throat with his teeth. Monster after monster disintegrated to dust around him.

Meanwhile, Hazel was deep in the throng of the enemy. She and Dairah had splintered off from the defensive line, leaving it up to Lupa's wolves to protect the boys. Her goal was to reach the shadowy corner where the wraith-like form of Percy sat. She wasn't dumb enough to think it was actually her friend, but for some reason, she could still feel his _presence_ in the room. The faint scent of sea salt tickled her nostrils (under all the sulfur), as if teasing her. It made Hazel's conviction to reach that corner grow.

Of course, the monsters couldn't have that. Their job was to keep them from reaching that corner. So, she and Day were having a tough time getting through them, understandably. The daughter of Janus stabbed a snake-lady through the stomach with one of her twin daggers while slicing the throat of an Empousa with the other. Hazel slashed her own weapon - an imperial gold Calvary sword – across the shins of a Cyclops, briefly watching as the one-eyed monster collapsed to his knees and turned to sand before moving onto the next enemy.

The horde of monsters seemed endless. Whenever they killed one, another would replace his fallen brethren. Before they had gotten the chance to attack, she had estimated that there were roughly about a hundred of them, maybe a hundred-fifty. It was bad odds – one-hundred-fiftyish monsters against seven demigods and seven wolves – but she had faced worse. After all, she had been one of the seven going against the Goddess of the Earth; this should be considered easy.

After another couple minutes of fighting without pause, Hazel found herself back-to-back with Dairah. The monsters were slowly surrounding them; the Romans needed to do something fast. The daughter of Pluto wracked her brain for a plan. _What would Annabeth do_, she thought to herself.

Glancing at her weapon, an idea formed in her mind. It was more of a reckless Percy-plan than anything the daughter of the Wisdom goddess would think up, but she quickly decided that it would be their only hope.

"Day, duck!" Hazel yelled. The half-blood didn't question it, sinking into a quick roll as Hazel pulled back her arm and threw her _spatha_ like a Frisbee. The weapon spun in the air like a boomerang, running through monster after monster. After the weapon came back full circle, it zipped back into the daughter of Pluto's outstretched hand.

"Woah, Hazel, that was wicked! How'd you do that?" Dairah asked incredulously, clambering back to her feet.

Hazel shrugged. "The weapon is made of precious metal. My father being Pluto, I can control precious metal and gems. So, I thought that maybe I could adjust its trajectory."

"So, basically, it was all a gamble?"

"Yes, basically."

"Well, Hazel Levesque, that. Was. _Awesome_." The daughter of Janus said with a smile, her different colored eyes twinkling. Of course, being a gambling junkie, she would approve of Hazel's crazy shot in the dark.

Hazel grinned appreciatively before quickly surveying the large room. The monsters nearest to them were all scattered around, creating a thick layer of yellow dust on the floor. At the other end of the building, the remaining recon team was battling the last few monsters. Hazel wiped the sweat from her brow, wincing slightly as her hand rubbed against a deep cut on her cheek. It had been from a wild swipe of a hellhound's paw that she had been too late to dodge.

In less than two minutes, Bobby stabbed through the last remaining monster. The five demigods were panting and sweating hard, but they didn't appear gravely injured. Frank had a thin cut travelling from his left shoulder down to his mid-bicep, but it wasn't too deep. Pancho had a swelling eye from a well-placed punch from a Cyclops, though Gwen was already checking him for a concussion. Dakota was favoring his right leg, an arm slung around Bobby's shoulders.

After seeing that all her friends were okay, Hazel turned her attention back to the dark corner. The shadows all seemed to converge there, the light being sucked out. She held her breath as she slowly stepped closer. Just barely visible was a vaguely humanoid figure, its chin tucked into its chest so that black hair obscured its face.

"Percy?" The word left her lips in a quiet whisper, but seemed to hang in the air. She reached out a trembling hand toward the figure, hoping beyond reason that it was actually her cousin - that they had finally found Percy and he would be safe once again.

Instead, right as her fingers skimmed the figure, it flickered before her eyes and disappeared. A strangled gasp escaped her, as much as she tried to stop it. Of course it wasn't Percy. That would have been too easy, right? And nothing was ever easy with Percy. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

Just as she was about to turn away, however, something caught her eye. A sliver of light had broken through the dark shadows and gleamed on something shiny. Scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion, Hazel reached out a hand. Her fingers skimmed the floor for a moment before they finally clasped around something. Or rather, two somethings.

"Hazel, are you okay?" Came the voice of her boyfriend from behind her. She turned her head to spot Frank and the others, who had made their way over after inspecting their injuries. Frank took a step closer to her, but when his eyes landed on what was in her hand, he blanched.

After a moment of silence, he shook his head and swallowed. "Bobby, can you take Pancho and Dairah with you to scout the perimeter? And Gwen, I think we have some ambrosia in our packs that we left with Arion. If you want to take Dakota out there to heal his leg…" The Romans all nodded after receiving their orders, leaving for their various duties. He then turned to Hazel. "Um, do you want to IM Annabeth? I think she'd want to know…" He trailed off, his eyes returning to the objects in her hand.

"Yeah, I will." Hazel replied numbly. Her empty hand searched through her pockets for some drachma. Sadly, Hazel was not Greek - she was Roman, so all she had in her pockets was a couple of denarii. She frowned slightly. "Do you think denarii will work?"

Frank scratched his head, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't know. I haven't really tried before."

Hazel bit her lip, looking around for something to produce a rainbow. Finally, she stopped a puddle of oil a ways away, probably leaking from one of the older machines. Luckily, the setting sun's rays poked through one of the broken windows, creating a sickly-looking rainbow. She walked up to it, glancing from the oil puddle to her Roman coin. This was a stretch, even for her.

She sighed, praying to her father that this message would go through. As she tossed the coin into the slick rainbow, her mind suddenly flashed back to her quest in Alaska. "Hey Fleecy, can you do me a solid?" She said, feeling weird talking to a puddle and not quite understanding the strange lingo. "Show me Annabeth Chase, please. New York."

Despite how ridiculous she felt, a smile lit up her face as the coin went through the oil and a misty image of Cabin 3 appeared before her, Annabeth standing in the middle of it. The daughter of Athena looked worse than the last time Hazel had seen her. Her hair was a mess and would probably take an hour plus three hairbrushes to tame once again. She had also lost some more weight, and the bags under her eyes were more like bruises. Despite that, her grey eyes looked clear, if a little blood-shot.

"Hazel?" She asked sleepily.

"Oh Annabeth, glad that worked." Hazel muttered, silently thanking Fleecy for putting her IM through.

Frank came up beside her, his body rigid. "Hey, Annabeth, nice to see you." He waved casually, but Hazel could tell that he was faking it. Annabeth apparently could too.

"Did you find him?" She asked, her brow furrowing in worry. A tinge of desperation slipped into her voice, making Hazel's breath catch. The daughter of Pluto bit her lip, wishing that she had better news for her friend.

"Not exactly," she murmured, revealing the beaded necklace and ball-point pen clasped in her hands. It was the same necklace that Percy had always worn, even when he had had amnesia; and his magical pen that transformed into a sword when uncapped.

Annabeth's mouth dropped. Her face flashed through multiple expressions – shock, pain, confusion, worry, depression, hopelessness – before she could school it. Then, she locked her jaw firmly, quickly walling up her façade once again before speaking. "Where did you find those?"

"Lupa's wolves caught a scent a couple hours south of LA. They followed it to an abandoned factory," Hazel replied. "It was a trap, though. A powerful sorceress was waiting for us and locked us in with an army of monsters before disappearing. We found these after we defeated them all."

Annabeth nodded, taking in the information. Her eyes were like storms as her mind raced a mile a minute. Her hand came up to rub her temples.

Beside Hazel, Frank shifted uneasily on his feet. He glanced behind himself, looking to see if the others had returned yet. Seeing the room empty, he turned back to the Iris Message. "Annabeth…" He started hesitantly, "isn't Percy's pen enchanted to always return to its master?"

Annabeth tugged at her hair, a frown across her face. "Yes, yes it is."

"So, how come it hasn't returned to him?" He asked nervously.

Annabeth paused in thought for a few moments before responding. "There's only one reason why it hasn't: because it can't. So, either Percy doesn't have pockets anymore, or he's trapped in a place where its magic is negated, or he's-" Her breath caught in her throat.

"No, Annabeth, Percy is fine." Hazel said firmly. "He's not-not dead. Grover is still alive, isn't he?"

Annabeth scrubbed her face before returning her gaze on the dark-skinned demigod. "Yeah, of course. Perc-he's fine."

Frank rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes flickering to the pen and necklace in his girlfriend's hands. "But…why?"

"What do you mean why?" Annabeth asked, her voice suddenly harsh and her eyes fierce.

Frank looked a little taken aback. "I-I mean, I know Percy is okay, just that… Why did they give us Percy's things? To rub it in our faces? To throw us off course?"

As quickly as it had come, Annabeth's anger passed. Instead, her face twisted in concentration. She began pacing back and forth in the Poseidon cabin. "You're right. Maybe it was just arrogance, but I doubt it. If it was to rub it in then they wouldn't have set a group of monsters up for slaughter. They had to have had some ulterior motive… Maybe it was meant to be a message? Sort of an intimidation tactic? Like an '_this is all you'll ever get of him_' sort of thing?..." The daughter of Athena rambled on. Suddenly, her eyes blew wide and her pacing came to a stop. "Wait, who did you say set up the trap?"

"It was a witch. She was powerful enough to hide an entire army of monsters from me with the Mist. She called herself the Immortal Sorceress." Hazel answered.

Annabeth racked her brain for the name, chewing her lip. "There are multiple witches who were called that in mythology, so I'm not completely sure who it could be. Pasiphae was the most popular one with that title, but obviously it wasn't her. I can't remember any more of the top of my head…"

"That's okay Annabeth, we'll handle it. Right Frank?" Hazel subtly nudged her boyfriend, earning a delayed 'right' before focusing once more on the blonde half-blood. "You should get some sleep now Annabeth, and then maybe you can get my brother to shadow travel you over to Camp Jupiter tomorrow."

Annabeth looked about ready to agree before she remembered something, her eyes widening again. "I can't. The gods are paranoid about something, so they put both camps on lockdown."

Now it was time for the Romans' eyes to go wide. "What?! But they can't-what about Percy?" Frank stammered out.

Annabeth's jaw clenched. "Artemis and Apollo are tracking him down." Though having the twin deities was great, Hazel couldn't help but hate the idea of waiting around for them to rescue her friend. Annabeth obviously shared her opinion, if her white-knuckled fists were anything to go by.

Watching the daughter of Athena, Hazel tried to put herself in her friend's shoes. Frank being kidnapped for the second time, and not knowing where he was. Going through Tartarus and two wars together, only to be separated once again, after they had promised each other that that would never happen. Suddenly, Hazel was filled with such an overwhelming respect for Annabeth. If she had to go through what her friend was going through right now, she would be completely broken down.

_But maybe_, Hazel thought, _Annabeth was just good at hiding it._

"They'll find him, Annabeth, don't worry." The daughter of Pluto reassured her. "But, please, still try to go to bed. I know you're worried about Percy…we all are…but you still have to take care of yourself. Percy - he wouldn't want you to be like this."

Annabeth looked about ready to angrily retort, but instead, she released a deep breath and seemed to deflate. "You're right, Hazel. Gods, you're right. I-I'll try. It's just so…_frustrating_, you know? We just got back from a war not even half a year ago and now…"

Tears prickled at the corners of Hazel's eyes. "I know." She whispered. And she did, more than she wanted too. She knew what it felt like to just want to be _done_, only to be pulled right back into the fire. "Just promise me, okay? For him."

Annabeth bit her cheek. "…I promise." She mumbled. Hazel smiled sadly.

"Um, well bye then, Annabeth." Said Frank awkwardly.

"Yeah, goodbye, Annabeth." Hazel added.

Annabeth nodded. "Bye guys. Keep those safe for him." She pointed to the objects in Hazel's hand. After they both responded that they would, the gray-eyed demigod waved a hand through the IM, disconnecting it.

Hazel glanced down at the two objects in her hands: Percy's necklace and his sword. Frank followed her gaze.

"We don't want to lose those." He muttered.

Hazel nodded, agreeing. Slowly, she put the necklace over her own head, the cool beads settling right over her heart. She handed Riptide to her boyfriend. "Here. You're technically Percy's great-times-a-thousand nephew, so you should carry it."

From the way Frank looked at the pen, you'd think she'd offered him one of Percy's limbs instead of just his sword. "But, I couldn't. It's Percy's sword, not mine." He looked aghast at the thought.

Hazel blinked her golden orbs to clear them once again. "I know. But he would trust you to keep it safe for him."

With great care – almost reverence – Frank reached out and grabbed the ball-point pen. He looked at it for a couple seconds before placing it in his front pocket, next to his fire-proof pouch. Then, he took a deep breath, getting back into his leader mindset.

"Let's go outside to round up the others. We have to return to Camp Jupiter." He said. Hazel nodded. They needed to return as soon as possible to tell Reyna about the news, as well as because of the lockdown. The young couple headed for the rusty factory doors, their bodies casting sharp shadows across the building as the sun finally set below the horizon.

* * *

**A/N: Here we finally get to see what happened with the Romans. Who's the Immortal Sorceress? What's her motive? And _when_ are the demigods going to find Percy? **

**In case you were wondering...**

**Bobby's mother is Salus, the Roman goddess of safety, health, and welfare.**

**Pancho's mother is Libertas, the Roman goddess and embodiment of liberty. The Statue of Liberty is inspired after her.**

**Gwen's godly parent was never stated in the books (and neither was Bobby's) so I just decided to make Gwen the daughter of Apollo.**

**Hope you didn't mind the OC's. There weren't that many members of the Fifth Cohort that were named in the books, and I thought they needed a little more than just five on the rescue team. Don't worry though, Pancho and Dairah won't have a big part in the story, along with any other OC's that are made. **

**Don't be afraid to review, I don't bite. ;)**

**Au revoir**

**~Wrendsor **


	15. B1: Chapter XV

**A/N: So, another update, yay! Also, school's officially out now, so expect them more often.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own PJO/HOO or Maximum Ride. Those rights go to Rick Riordan and James Patterson**

* * *

Perseus

**Fun fact:** I am not the Snow Queen of Arendelle. One might think '_Why Percy, of course you aren't Queen Elsa! You don't have blonde hair, or blue eyes, or an awesome blue dress. And, you know, you aren't freaking _female_!_' Well, apparently the dimwit whitecoats thought I was (Elsa, not female; I think even their small brains could figure _that_ one out). I mean, why else would they toss me in a maze and turn the temperature down to negative two thousand?

Did you note my bitterness? Good.

At the moment, I was running for my life. I did that a lot though, so I'll elaborate. Today, the Erasers had taken me for another test. They had shoved me into a room, where I was promptly shuttled into yet another room. Except, the second room wasn't really a room. It had been more of a hall that diverged into three separate paths after a couple meters. It had taken me awhile to realize that it was actually a maze, not a hallway. But really, I should have seen that one coming.

Now, mazes were nothing new to me. The scientists had made me go through three since my capture. After the first time, I had luckily been able to push back the flashbacks of the Labyrinth enough to escape with minimal electrical shocks. Mainly because I had just imagined that I was a runner from that movie, the Maze Runner, I had seen back in October while on a double date with Annabeth, Jason, and Piper. It helped some.

However, this time the whitecoats had thought that simply running through a maze was too easy. So, they decided to change things up a bit. Normally, I'm all for changing things up. Change meant progress! I mean, look at how much the camps have improved since the Romans and Greeks got over our little centuries old grudge? This change, though, I was not a fan of. At all.

About two minutes into my maze run, the temperature had started to drop. At first, I hadn't really noticed it besides the random cold spots I'd come across every once in a while. Then goosebumps started to rise on my arms, and I started shivering. It wasn't until my teeth started chattering that I really noticed the difference. I had stopped abruptly, cursing the stupid whitecoats and their stupid experiments. Did they think I was a penguin or something? Well, I guess I could be part penguin now. Who knew what kind of animal concoction they had injected into me? However, a quick shock had me resume my original pace.

Now, I was stumbling along the path, my shoulders occasionally bumping into the white walls. My hands had gone numb, and I was shivering so violently that it felt like I was having a seizure. I wondered how I could even walk at the moment. Maybe breaking out into _Let it Go_ would help? The Erasers would probably get a kick out of hearing me screech like a dying Orca.

Besides being stiff from the cold, I also had another reason for my clumsiness. Namely, the dam _wings_ on my back. Since a couple days ago when they had sprouted out of my back, they had grown a couple feet. Now each wing was about five feet across. Obviously, I wasn't used to having an extra set of limbs growing out of me, and it showed. Every time I would turn a corner too sharply, I would crash to the floor from the unexpected weight at my shoulders.

The thought of me with wings made me want to hurl. Flying wasn't really my thing. _Oh schist, when Zeus finds out… Well, that's assuming he doesn't already know_, I thought. I gulped, picturing an angry Zeus throwing his master bolt at me as I cowered in fear. But hey, it wasn't like I had _asked_ to have bird DNA mixed in with my Percy DNA. Of course, Mr. Drama King wasn't one listen to reason.

I was brought out of my trailing thoughts as I stumbled yet again. This time, my legs couldn't react in time, and I crumbled to the ground. My wings unfurled from my back on instinct, flapping weakly. I grumbled, muttering curses about 'dam wings.' Seriously, how did birds handle it? Well, in birds' defense, theirs actually had a purpose. Mine just hung there limply.

Looking down, I saw that my fingers were turning blue. Blue was my favorite color, yeah. But, I didn't necessarily think your limbs turning blue was all that healthy. Along with my newfound smurfness, my body had also gone completely numb.

I remembered back to the time when Annabeth had dragged me to one of the Apollo cabin's first aide lectures, saying that I was 'prone to injury' and a 'trouble magnet' (pfft, what did she know?). Austin had been the one teaching us, mainly because Will tended to go overboard with the medical terminology. During one of the times I'd been actually paying attention, the son of Apollo had been going over the symptoms of hypothermia, which included sudden smurf coloration, seize-worthy shivering, and mental confusion. However, my mind was too dazed to remember what Austin said about how to avoid freezing to death (go figure).

I blinked slowly, my eyelids suddenly weighing as much as the Empire State Building (Mount Olympus included). Sleep. I needed sleep. Maybe just a little nap… My arms couldn't support my weight anymore, so my body tipped to the side. That was fine with me, though. The floor was nice.

Niiice floor.

Wait, what was I doing? Trying to think was like swimming through jelly. I was supposed to be doing something… The maze! I was in a maze! Like the one I had been in with Rachel and Annabeth…

Annabeth… Mmm, where was she? It felt cold without her next to me, like I had decided to take an ice bath and forgot about my Poseidon powers. I wasn't shivering though. Was that good, or bad?

Annabeth would know…

My eyelids fluttered shut. It wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap. After all, the ground felt comfy, and the feathery blanket thing felt nice on my back...

And then after my nap I could go find Annabeth... She might be worried.

Yeah, Annabeth…

* * *

**Everything became hazy after that**. I might have drifted for a while. Time didn't really mean anything in la-la-land, so it could've been anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. All I knew is that somewhere along the line, I started to feel strangely hot.

The sudden change of temperature was enough to zap me out of my haziness. My limbs uncurled from the balled position on the floor, aching from their recent defrosting. I blinked to clear my blurry vision.

Nothing had changed since the last time I'd opened my eyes. I was still stuck in the maze, facing another dead-end. Pity. I was hoping that I'd magically transported myself back to camp. Now was the prime time to learn that I could shadow-travel like Nico. Well, that would probably be a long shot, given the fact that I wasn't the son of the Underworld. Maybe I could try to, like, vapor-travel or something. There was water in vapor, right? Of course, even if I could somehow vapor-travel, it wouldn't have worked anyway with my powers shut off somehow.

I still wondered how the whitecoats had managed that…

I grumbled as my arms strained to pull myself into a sitting position. My arms wobbled dangerously - still weak from being frozen – but held. Next was trying to get to my feet. Boy, this was gonna be fun (that was sarcasm).

After several failed attempts, I finally managed to pull myself to my feet. I was swaying like a drunken sailor, but at least I had finally stayed vertical. I leaned against the wall for support. My hand came up to wipe my forehead. And it wasn't the 'whew, what hard work' kind of wipe, but the 'it is seriously hot in hear, turn on the AC gods-dammit' kid of wipe. The back of my hand came back slick with sweat, which I rubbed on my pants.

Seriously, first the whitecoats turn me into a Per-sicle, and now they're trying to roast me alive? Not cool.

Electricity suddenly flooded my body, causing me to almost lose my balance again. I stumbled before regaining my hold on the wall. The scientists must be getting tired watching me flounder around. They wanted action! Suspense! Thrill! Apparently they had nothing better to do than play with a teenage boy.

Yes, that sounded dirty. And yes, I now regret thinking that.

I growled, but pushed myself off the wall. If they wanted me to run, then fine! I'd run! They didn't need to get all huffy about it. They enjoyed shocking me more than Thalia, which was saying something.

I turned, facing the direction I had come from. The question was, where _had_ I come from? The pathway in front of me splintered off into two directions, and honestly my memories of stumbling into this dead-end were pretty fuzzy. I decided to take the left path. In the movies, the left path is always the right one - or well, the correct one, that is.

After a second of mental preparation, I forced my legs to jog. It was painful, in that dull achy way you get after running in a maze for an hour, then being frozen, then getting electrocuted. Wait, you _don't_ know that feeling? Oh, my bad.

When I finally reached the left path and turned, I was just getting back my momentum. Then I lost it. Because, dang it Percy, you're a freaking human-bird hybrid thingy! You have wings now! Your center of gravity is higher now!

Luckily, I caught myself in time and only stumbled a few feet before I resumed jogging. After another twenty meters, I made another left turn – this time more carefully. Then I made a right, then a straight, left again, straight, straight, right, left, blah, blah, blah, you get the picture. Halfway through my running, sweat started pooling down my face. By the time I hit my next dead-end and had to backtrack, my shirt was drenched in it. I was now panting, my lungs rasping for air.

The pneumonia-like sickness I had gotten when my wings first sprouted from my back had left for good the day before. It had taken my asthma that I had gotten as a souvenir from Tartarus with it, which was a nice bonus. I wondered briefly if that was the result of one of the injections they had given me before reminding myself that I didn't care what the whitecoats had done, I just wanted out of here.

After another few minutes of running, I was seriously considering just ripping off the shirt and saying to Hades with it. I tugged at the fabric as it clung uncomfortably to my skin. Maybe I would have heatstroke and die in this maze. It didn't seem all too bad at the moment, considering.

I almost slapped myself for that thought. I couldn't just lie down and die here. What would Annabeth think? And my mom? And Grover, Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and all the other demigods? Annabeth would march right down to Elysium just to kill me herself. Not to mention I had promised Alazne that I'd get us out.

I sucked in another breath, pushing down the overwhelming urge to collapse on the ground from exhaustion. My feet pounded on the tiles below. By now, they were blistering hot. The bottoms of my feet burned as they made contact with the linoleum. I could feel the skin on my face and arms burning from the heat. Could you get sunburn from fake lighting? Well, people went to tanning beds all the time, so I supposed so.

The maze became very monotonous. Who knew running for your life could get so _boring_? I'd always hated those little mazes they put on the back of kid's menus at restaurants, mainly because I'd always been terrible at them. In case you were wondering, my skills have not improved since then. I was still jogging through the maze even as the title under my feet got hotter and hotter.

When I reached my ninth dead-end, I almost screamed. Though, screaming would take air that I did not have at the moment. My body had finally stopped sweating, which I was pretty sure was a bad thing. I also had a pounding headache that had nothing to do with a Pegasus kick and everything to do with the total lack of water in my system. And a son of Poseidon with no water was not a good thing. I turned back around to take the right-handed path instead and continued on with my run (which was more like staggering at this point).

My eyelids fluttered in exhaustion, but I yanked them open. Now was not the time to fall to the ground. The ground was lava. And not like that pretend game that kids always played. I was pretty sure the tiles should be melting be how hot they were under my feet.

Images of Tartarus surged to the front of my mind. I was suddenly squatting beside Annabeth behind a large rock, the Phlegethon bubbling right next to us as we watched a gaggle of Empousa devour a monster carcass. My hands rubbed against my eyes, trying to purge the image from my mind. Having a flashback to the Pit would not be good. I needed to find my way out of this maze.

Right, straight, right, left, left, left, straight, right. On, and on, and on I went. My limbs turned to lead – my burning feet having lost feeling a while ago – and my eyesight went hazy. My lungs cramped from not having enough oxygen, and my throat was swollen from the lack of hydration. I couldn't even find the strength to tuck my wings into my back, so they awkwardly dragged behind me, their feathers just barely skimming the floor.

I had just made another left, when suddenly I was out – free. My legs trembled and collapsed. My throat ceased as my lungs begged for oxygen. Black dots swam in my vision as I took wild gasps of sweet, sweet air. Around me, whitecoats swarmed in the lab that I had just burst into, but I didn't pay them any attention. All that mattered was that I was out, I had made it. Wetness dripped from my cheeks, but I wasn't sure when I had started crying. The palms of my hands dug into my eyes, trying to stop the tears. But, that maze had been just so mentally and physically _exhausting_ that I couldn't stop. Emotions that I had shoved down since my kidnapping came rushing back. I just wanted out. _I just wanted out._

A hand on my shoulder caused me to freeze. I resisted the urge to grab for the sword that wasn't there.

"Nice job, boy. That was fifteen minutes quicker than hypothesized." Glancing up, I realized that it was Dr. Umbridge. I was still confused by him. On the one hand, he had bandaged my broken hand and acted relatively polite towards me. On the other, he had helped Mette with turning me part bird. He was also a whitecoat. That in itself meant that he was evil by default.

Then I realized that he called me boy. Not _Subject 17_, not _it_, but boy. Though it wasn't exactly my name, it was still nice after so long to be talked to like a person and not just some experiment. That was probably the reason why I didn't immediately snap back at him. That, and because he was holding out a cup filled with water.

Throwing all caution to the wind, I grabbed at the cup and greedily chugged it down. Apparently that hadn't been the smartest idea, because I started choking on it. Coughs racked my body as my lungs tried to expel the water from them. After the coughs died down, I continued to drink – more carefully this time. Once I drained the last drop, I handed the empty cup back to him.

"Thanks," I mumbled, wiping the liquid from my mouth. My throat was still dry, but the headache had gone down some. At least it didn't feel like a sword through my skull anymore.

"Mhmm," He replied. "And how's the hand?"

I unconsciously clenched it. Surprisingly, after I had gotten the wings, my hand had started healing fast. Not just demigod fast, but like, supernaturally fast. Now it just ached when I put too much strain on it.

Instead of verbally replying, I just shrugged my shoulders at the man. He frowned, probably not liking my answer. Well, screw him; I had every right not to get cozy with a whitecoat.

Then, Dr. Umbridge was shoved roughly to the side as two Erasers brushed pass him. I gritted my teeth at them, wanting to take Riptide and slice it through their stomachs. There were two problems with that, however. One, was that my sword was still missing, and two, Riptide would probably just pass right through them anyway.

Dog Face grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. I winced as my feet touched the ground; it felt like walking on sharp glass. The two guards then escorted me back to the kennel. It was not a fun trip after the hypothermia and heat exhaustion. Seriously, that took it out of a guy. When we finally reached my cage, I was biting my tongue and blinking back tears. They shoved me in, and I collapsed to the floor, for once thanking the gods for the cold metal.

After the wings had sprouted from my back, they had thankfully moved me to a slightly larger cage to account for my new appendages. This one was a couple inches bigger in each direction, allowing me to kneel on the floor with a few inches to spare. The best part about it, though, was that it was right next to Alazne's.

The snake-kid shifted her position so that her face was pressed up against the bars of her cage, peering into mine. "You okay, Perccce?" She asked softly.

I nodded, settling my back against the iron bars. "I'm just dandy, Al."

"Liar." She hissed.

"It was just a maze. No big deal." I shrugged my shoulders.

Her slitted pupils narrowed. "Yeah, right. I know you hate that the worssst."

"Just drop it, Ali, 'kay? It was fine; I lived." I murmured, staring at my clenched fists. My wings ruffled behind me.

The blonde girl quieted. She leaned against the bars of her cage, huddling into a ball like she always did. I didn't miss her shiver, or the way she shoved her blue-tinged fingers under her shirt.

Sighing, I turned my attention back to my own cage. It was time check the damage. Carefully, I twisted myself so that one of the dim light bulbs shone down on me, and then I turned my foot to see the bottom of it. A hiss escaped my lips as my eyes took in the sight. The entire bottom of my right foot was red and blistered. Some of the blisters had popped and were oozing pus. Blood seeped through the cracked skin on my sole, dripping onto the hard metal. My left foot was just as bad.

Well, that would make it painful to walk for a while.

Alazne glanced in my direction, but wisely didn't comment. Instead, she sneezed. I looked worriedly at her. Was she getting sick? Her skin was slightly flushed, the patches of green scales brittle. Her eyes were glazed over, and her teeth were chattering. I bit my lip as she sneezed once again.

We really needed to get out of here, or I wasn't sure how long either of us would last.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter took so long to write. I seriously put it off for like three weeks. Procrastination is strong with this one. And writer's block. Yeah, not fun.**

**Anyways, we got to see more of Percy this time, and the evil tortures that the whitecoats are putting him through in the name of 'science'. Hopefully Ali gets over her cold and they escape soon. 'Cause if they don't... well, it probably won't end well for them.**

**On that happy note, bye!**

**~Wrendsor**


	16. B1: Chapter XVI

**A/N: Oh my gosh, thank you all so much! Seriously, over a hundred reviews? I'm like, speechless. You guys are really amazing. I read every single one of them, and they each never fail to bring a smile to my face. I'm flattered. Y'all deserve some cookies or something...**

**This chapter is dedicated to **Infinityworlds** for being my 100th reviewer. :)**

**I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Third Person

**Rachel had been having** a bad feeling for weeks now. She didn't even know how to describe it. It was like an itch she couldn't scratch, or a word that was on the tip of her tongue. The only thing she knew was that it had something to do with the Greek world.

Yes, Rachel Elizabeth Dare was well versed in the whole '_the Greek and Roman gods are real, and living under everyone's noses!_' situation. After all, she was their Oracle. And with the spirit of Delphi newly released (all thanks to Lord Apollo defeating Python once again), Rachel was back in business.

The redhead paced back and forth in her dorm at Clarion Ladies Academy, her socked feet silent on the carpeted floor. Something wasn't right – hadn't been for a while now. She just couldn't figure out what. All her visions so far had been frustratingly dim. The only images she was able to make out were of the Seven along with six other kids fighting what appeared to be a chimera, and Percy, Annabeth, and a brunette girl facing down a large, gray-scaled drakon. Obviously neither of those boded well for her friends.

Rachel sighed heavily and flopped down on her bed. Hearing the springs squeak, the girl sleeping on the other side of the room flipped to her other side, pulling up her pink covers and drifting back into dreamland. Rachel didn't even glance in her direction, instead turning to look out the window. From behind the purple curtains, the full moon peaked out, casting everything in pale silver light. Rachel nervously picked at the hem of her shirt, chewing her lip.

The bad feeling tickled the back of her mind again, filling her with an urgency to do something. She needed to go to Camp Half-Blood. They needed to know… Well, she wasn't exactly sure _what_ they need to know, but her instincts were all shouting at her to drop everything and go to camp. Her instincts were usually right.  
Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow she would somehow sneak out of school and pay Camp Half-Blood a visit. But for now, Hypnos was calling. The Oracle crawled under her sheets and closed her eyes…

_…__Only to fall right into a dream. It was a prophetic dream. Somewhere in her head, she could tell the difference between a normal dream and a supernatural one. Except, something was different about this Oracle-induced dream. Her vision was cloudy, like she was looking through distorted glass._

_Rachel's senses slowly came to her. She was lying flat on her back. Attempting to sit up, she found that she couldn't move. Her arms, legs, and torso were restrained. Heck, she couldn't even turn her head! Struggling not to hyperventilate - because being strapped down was _not_ Rachel's idea of a fun time - she lifted her eyes to view her surroundings. Harsh white lights blinded her momentarily, leaving her blinking the black dots out of her vision._

_When her eyes finally adjusted, the rest of the room came into view. From what she could see of it (which wasn't much, to be frank), the entire room was completely white. Talk about an artist's nightmare. Blurry blobs walked around her body. After a few more seconds of blinking, the figures transformed into white-coated, stern faced people. They stared at Rachel like she was a hard calculus problem they were trying to solve. A few had strange, metal instruments in their hands. They were murmuring things that she couldn't quite make out._

_Suddenly, one of the people turned to meet the Oracle's gaze. The woman's eyes matched the scalpel in her hand—cold and hard as steel. Her cruel smile reminded Rachel of Kronos's. The redhead repressed a shiver, clenching her fists._

"_Oh my, looks like the little birdie is awake." The creepy woman sneered. Rachel wished she still had her blue hairbrush to chuck at her weasel-like face._

"_Pity." The woman murmured, though to Rachel she didn't sound sympathetic at all._

_Then, she lowered the scalpel. Rachel braced herself for the sting of the blade entering her flesh, but it never came. Instead, a scream pierced the air. The breath caught in the Oracle's lungs. It wasn't her scream, no, but she definitely recognized it._

_The scream belonged to none other than her missing friend, Percy Jackson._

* * *

Annabeth

**It had been the longest** eleven days of my life. With Frank and Hazel's discovery, the wait for the full moon seemed endless. To keep myself occupied, I would train with my Drakon-bone sword - my skills with a sword were less than perfect, given my previous weapon of choice had been a knife - and work on my designs for Olympus.

However, no matter what I did, I would be reminded of _him_. Sword training made me remember how Riptide had not returned to its rightful owner yet. Designing Poseidon's temple brought me back to Percy's and my underwater kiss. Just looking at the camp itself, and all the new cabin additions, reminded me of his deal with the gods and how he had turned down immortality for me.

But now, it was nighttime on January fifth, and the full moon was high in the sky. In as little as a few minutes, we would have my boyfriend's location and would rescue him - whether there was a camp-wide lockdown or no. Soon, Percy would be safe. We could spend some time to heal, go to college in New Rome, and then live happily ever after. We deserved it, and I'll stab anyone who thinks otherwise.

It was nearly midnight. I was standing in a large clearing a couple feet from Zeus's Fist. Others were there, too. Grover stood beside me, rubbing his arms to get rid of the brisk chill. Piper was at my other side, her hand reaching to squeeze mine in support. Jason was next to his girlfriend, and then Leo at his side. Calypso completed the circle, positioned between her boyfriend and the satyr.

Lou Ellen was in the middle of our human circle. Various ingredients for the locator spell were spread out before her. With slightly shaking fingers, she laid out a large map of the continental US across the flat ground. The daughter of Hecate then started to delicately place the ingredients in a small glass bowl. I didn't know what each ingredient was. From the look of a few of them, I was glad that I didn't. One herb had a sickly orange stem and purple flowers, but it was almost immediately coated in a yellow slime that looked disturbingly like mucus. She also pinched in a powder that smelled like sulfur, which made Grover's sensitive nose sneeze. The last ingredient she added was my vial of blood. When the sanguine liquid contacted the mixture in the bowl, it sizzled and hissed. Lou Ellen bit her lip as she stirred the potion together with a wooden spoon, eyeing the bowl nervously.

Grover shifted on his hoofed feet. "Why do I get the feeling that she's just waiting for it to explode?" The satyr bleated.

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, Annabeth, are you sure this is safe? I mean, I want Percy back as much as anyone but…"

"Some of the herbs this spell called for… They are very dangerous if used incorrectly." Calypso warned, her face pale.

The daughter of Hecate huffed. "You guys! This spell is very complicated and very powerful. It takes a lot of concentration. So, if you don't want it to go boom, then shut up."

"Does anyone else feel like they're participating in a satanic ritual or something?" Leo asked, his hands fidgeting with his tool belt.

I glared at the fire-user. "She said to be quiet, Valdez. Zip it."

The son of Hephaestus mimed zipping his lips and tossing away the key. Piper had to clasp a hand around my wrist to keep me from throttling him.

Lou Ellen set down her wooden spoon, drawing everyone's eyes back to her. She stood up, her hands firmly holding the potion which was now colored an inky blue. The entire clearing seemed to hold its breath as the daughter of Magic poured the contents over the paper map, chanting as she did so.

"O̱ theá ti̱s stav̱rodrómi deíchnoun na mou to monopáti pou échei kryfteí . O̱ theá ti̱s dádas elafrýnei af̱tó pou échei chytó stis skiés . O̱ theá ti̱s mageías apokalýptoun gia ména i̱ topothesía tou pou zi̱tó̱ gia."

Suddenly, the whole map was consumed with green flame. Several gasps were heard around the circle. Leo stepped forward to try to extinguish the fire before it was too late, but Lou Ellen held up a hand.

"Wait. This is supposed to happen." Her eyes were glowing with the exact color of the flames. Her brow was furrowed, and I knew that it must've taken all of her concentration to speak while channeling such an immense amount of magic. Leo reluctantly retreated back to his original spot, sharing a nervous glance with his girlfriend.

As I watched, the green flames flared once before snuffing out. Lou Ellen's eyes fluttered closed, and she swayed on her feet. Piper and Jason rushed forward, catching the girl before she could collapse. Grover, Leo, Calypso, and I followed them to the center.

Grover waved his hand in front of Lou Ellen's face. "Lou? You alright?"

After a tense moment, the daughter of Hecate slowly blinked her eyes. They had returned to their original color. She shook her head as if to clear it before struggling to her feet. Piper helped her up, keeping a hand on her arm. Lou Ellen thanked the daughter of Aphrodite with a shaky smile.

"I think I'll be down for a week. That spell took a lot of mojo." Lou Ellen rubbed her temple as if she had a headache, which was probably the case.

"You did a great job, though." Piper complimented her.

Piper's words seemed to give Lou Ellen some strength back. She stood up straighter. "Yeah, well, how about we go see how great a job I did?"

Suddenly, excitement and nervousness washed over me. The spell had worked; after so long, we were finally going to find my boyfriend. He would be safe again, and we would be together.

_Never again_, I had promised. _We'll never be separated again_. I'd broken that promise unwillingly when I had let those two men take my Percy away. But after this, I would never allow him to leave my sight for over five seconds. In the back of my mind, I realized that that probably wouldn't be very healthy, but at the moment I didn't care.

A small 'no' brought me out of my thoughts. When I looked up, Lou Ellen was standing over the remains of the map. My eyebrows creased in confusion as I made my way over to her. Her face had gone ghostly white, and her mouth was hanging open.

"What's wrong, Lou Ellen?" I asked, peering at the map.

The daughter of Hecate blanched. "This - this isn't possible. I did everything right - I… I don't know…"

"Lou Ellen." I repeated sharply, snapping the dark-haired half-blood out of her daze.

She turned to me, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. "I - I'm sorry, Annabeth. I did the spell correctly, but there was… Something is blocking him."

My world stopped. Everything seemed to freeze in place, like Kronos bending time. My heartbeat pounded in my chest as my mind tried to make sense of what had just left her mouth. "What do you mean 'something is blocking him'?" I demanded.

Lou Ellen's bottom lip quivered. "Only a very powerful sorcerer could block such an ancient spell like this."

The news wasn't received well. Piper covered her mouth with a hand, Jason started sparking, Leo nearly set Calypso on fire, and Grover looked ready to faint. I was wishing that a monster would randomly show up, or a Giant, so that I could have something to vent my anger out on instead of the inside of my cheek.

"But," Lou Ellen hurriedly continued, "the person couldn't block it completely."

"Go on." Piper urged, unconsciously using her charmspeak.

"The spell works by burning a hole through wherever the person you are looking for is. That way, the search is limited to around a couple miles, depending on how large your map is. However, the witch was able to shield the exact spot of where to find Percy. So, instead of having a couple miles or so to search, we have a couple hundred." Lou Ellen rushed.

I tried to swallow the information. "And where did the map burn?"

It was Grover that replied. He looked down at the smoking remains of the US and gulped. "The entire state of California. And some of Arizona."

"So, what you are telling me is, is that we are no closer to finding him than when we started?"

Lou Ellen nodded sadly.

It felt like the entire weight of the sky was just dropped on my shoulders again. My hope of finding Percy shattered. It was like losing him all over again. I fell to my knees.

Piper immediately dropped down next to me, pulling me into a hug. I laid my head on her shoulder as the tears soaked into her shirt. My emotions were all over the place; it felt like I was suffocating in them. I couldn't take this. Not without him. As much as my hubris hated to admit, I was nothing without Percy. He was more than just my best friend, or my boyfriend. He was a vital part of me that couldn't be replaced. I felt unwholesome without my Seaweed Brain. He was my cornerstone, and without him, Annabeth Chase would crumble.

Piper rubbed my back, murmuring soothing words. From somewhere to my left, I heard Grover sniffle, choking on his own tears. Jason was also having a hard time keeping it together. Leo scowled angrily, lobbing a fireball at the remainder of the map. We all watched as it turned to ash and blew away with the wind, just like any chance we had of finding Percy Jackson.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is really depressing. Wow. Okay. I think the next one will be happier, though.**

**The spell used in this chapter translates in English to:**

**Oh, Goddess of the Crossroads, expose the path that has been hidden. Oh, Goddess of the Torch, illuminate that which has been cast into the shadows. Oh, Goddess of Magic, reveal to me the location of whom I seek.**

**Obviously, the Greek version is a bit rough. And by a bit rough, I mean completely Google translated. Though, if you speak Greek and spot a mistake, feel free to tell me and I'll fix it.**

**It was fun to write in Rachel's POV. I might do it again possibly. Or Piper's, idk.**

**Next chapter is Percy. Or Max. I haven't decided. Meh.**

**Oh, and before I forget! Percy's species of bird will be revealed in one of the next few chapters. To be completely honest, I contemplated making him part guinea pig as well as avian for like a tribute to SoM (and just for the laughs), but I decided not to.**

**Anyways, thank you to everyone for commenting, favoriting, and following my story. It really means a lot.**

**Bye for now.**

**~Wrendsor**


	17. B1: Chapter XVII

**A/N: Sooo, hi? This update is a bit late. Sorry for that. I was on vacation for the passed week over on the East Coast and barely had any time to write. But I'm back now. So yay, I guess.**

**Well, here's the chapter you've all waited so nicely for:**

* * *

Perseus

**Have you ever wondered** what happens when you confine a severely ADHD half-blood in a space too small to move around in for over a week? Make sure to take into account a giant pair of wings growing out of the kid's back; oh, and don't forget the claustrophobia too. Well, let's just say that the result is a twitchy, irritable, bored-as-Tartarus demigod.

If you didn't guess already, the demigod was me. And I was definitely not happy, to put it lightly. Before, I never would have thought being captured and experimented on by evil scientists to be a boring experience. Terrifying, yes. Painful? Most definitely. But not boring. It was a not-so-pleasant surprise, I suppose. Personally, I would have rather fought an army of monsters than be stuck in a crate for hours on end. Hades, I'd even take on Kronos and Gaea combined! At least that would mean some action.

The only respite from my mind-numbing boredom was the daily tests they'd force me to do. But, these were no ordinary tests. You couldn't just guess 'C' for each question and hope for the best—which was my strategy for passing any school subject (I'd managed to pass all my classes with a passing grade, so it did work somewhat). No, these were the kind of tests that would make a grown man cry for his mama. Heck, they'd probably make _gods_ cry for their mothers.

So, if asked whether I preferred twiddling my thumbs in a cage all day or laying on yet another operation table, I'd take the dog crate any day. Not that the whitecoats asked for my opinion or anything. That was just my preference. The thought kept me from banging on the iron bars like an insane asylum patient, at least.

It was one of the reasons why I wasn't so angry to be sitting in a metal cage. As long as the crate kept the crazies with the needles away, I was content to be cramped within its confines as my butt grew numb. Okay, not content _per say_. Content would be back at camp with Annabeth and all my other friends. But, in this Frankenstein-style hellhole, the cage was as close to as content as I'd get.

Wow. That was a sad thought.

At least I had one ray of sunshine that always brightened up my day. Alazne—daughter of Apollo and affectionately dubbed 'Subject 12' by the whitecoats—always had a way of taking my mind away from this place and other…not so nice places. If I was being totally honest, she was probably the only reason I had still not boarded the crazy train. Ali was like one of those flares that always lead people out of the darkness.

Sadly, the little ball of sunshine was not so hot right now. The snake-kid was curled into a tiny ball, her dirty blonde hair cascading over her twiggy arms. The patches of scales across her body were starting to flake off, like a snake shedding its skin. I would have thought that that was what she was doing (no matter how gross that would have been), if not for her ever-present sniffle. I knew that if I could see them, her blue eyes would be red and puffy.

Alazne was seriously sick, and I didn't know how long she would last.

Kids at camp got sick all the time. However, a quick shot of nectar was better than any medicine out there. It got rid of runny noses, coughs, stomach aches; it even made mosquito bites disappear (demigods were always swarmed by mosquitoes—our divine blood was like heroin to them). I knew for certain that if we could get out of here, I could have Alazne back to her sunny self in an instant. All it would take was a simple phone-call to Annabeth (IM would be easier, but I was broke on drachmas), a quick trip to camp via hellhound, and she'd be as good as new.

The only problem was the escape part of the plan. This place was more secure than Fort Knox. Even if you could get passed the maze-like hallways, Erasers were posted by each exit and regularly swept the hallways for anything out of the ordinary. Not to mention, there was the whole cage thing to get around. Trying to bust out of a wrought iron crate was pretty impossible unless you had Herculean strength, which sadly was not in my arsenal of powers.

So, I settled for scooting closer to Ali's cage and trying to transfer some of my body heat to her shivering form. Her eyes peeked up at me through her tangle of hair. They crinkled at the corners in what I assumed was thanks. I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to put both of our minds way from this kennel.

"So…" I racked my brain for something—anything. The silence was stifling, and hearing my friend's ragged breaths was worse. "Did I ever tell you more about my girlfriend, Annabeth?"

Her eyes brightened in recognition. She shook her head softly. I had mentioned Annabeth once after a bad nightmare but had never brought her up again. Mostly because it was too painful to think about her, and how much I missed her. It felt like there was a hole in my chest without her. Another reason was because it made me realize how worried she probably was. I just hoped she hadn't gone off the rails yet.

Tartarus had affected Annabeth and me differently. It brought out the worse in people—what we were most afraid of becoming. For me, it had brought up a darkness. It filled the cracks inside of me like tar, sticky and thick and never letting go. It consumed my thoughts while I was awake and sleeping, turning good into bad and bad into worse.

Annabeth, however, was different. She didn't fear her dark side. No, she feared being vulnerable. The daughter of Athena always needed to be knowledgeable, in control, and confident. She relied on logic and smarts to think her way out of anything. Tartarus had turned her mind against her. She grew less sure of herself, and more prone to lashing out. Her emotions were out of control, and she didn't really have a clue of how to solve the problem of her own brain. She felt vulnerable, weak, and clueless. Everything she hated. Everything she despised.

It was okay when we were together. We balanced each other out. We were each other's anchors. But now that we are separated, we were like ships lost in the sea. I could only hope that the others were helping Annabeth out. Piper was good with everything dealing with emotions, so I'm sure the daughter of Aphrodite was doing everything she could.

"Okay, let's see…" I wasn't really sure how to go about explaining Annabeth. I mean, she was perfect, and there were so many things I loved about her. Where to begin? "She's a genius—the smartest person I've ever met. Oh, and she has pretty gray eyes and curly blonde hair."

I smiled, picturing my girlfriend. It felt like a lifetime since I'd last seen her. "Um, she can beat anyone in a fight. Like seriously, she full on judo-flipped me one time."

Alazne smiled, but I was just getting started. "We met when we were twelve, and we didn't really get along at first. I mean, her first words to me were 'you drool in your sleep.'"

Ali giggled, her fangs peeking out from under her blue lips. "Well, that isss true."

"Hey!" I protested. "I thought you were on my side."

Alazne shrugged. "I think I'm ssstarting to like your girlfriend."

"Well, of course. I _do_ have great taste."

"I wouldn't go that far." Ali rolled her eyes. "Annabeth musst have a lot of patienccce to put up with you."

I put a hand over my heart, feigning hurt. "I'll have you know, I am a delightful person." Her eyes narrowed. "Okay, okay. I'm an acquired taste."

The demigod snorted, which resulted in her sneezing again. She wiped her nose with a hand. "Yeah, right. Probably'd tassste like chicken."

My body stiffened. The new wings on my back suddenly weighed a thousand pounds.

Alazne's eyes widened, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh my goodnessss, I'm ssorry—I didn't mean—"

"No, no. It's fine." I muttered. "Besides, I bet I'd taste more like turkey. Turkeys are more noble."

"You learn that from Annabeth?"

I flashed back to Thanksgiving a couple months ago with Annabeth and my parents. My step-dad, Paul, and my girlfriend were deep in a conversation about the history of turkey birds. Annabeth had brought up the fact that Benjamin Franklin had wanted America's national bird to be a turkey instead of a bald eagle. Apparently, he'd thought turkeys had more courage and integrity. "…Maybe."

I pouted as Alazne laughed, but couldn't stop a small smile from my lips. At least she wasn't down in the dumps anymore. Point one for Percy.

Her giggles died off after a few moments. She had uncurled herself, instead sitting Indian-style next to me. "Sso, how're your feet?"

I glanced down at the soles of my feet. They'd healed somewhat, so now they were covered in ugly-looking scabs and bruises. My heels had taken the brunt of it, though; pink webbing surrounded them. I wondered if it meant an infection.

My shoulders shrugged in answer to the snake-kid. "They're better than yesterday, for sure."

She craned her neck to try to catch a glimpse of them. "Uh, I don't think that'ss healing right, Perccce."

I shrugged again, biting my lip. Ali was probably right. The little twinges of pain that came from my feet definitely seconded her opinion. "Nothing we can do about that."

Alazne's eyebrows furrowed. If her face was anything to go by, she didn't like my answer. She didn't say anything though, because even she could see the truth in it. Instead, she wiped her nose angrily, glaring at the floor.

I reached my hand through the bars of my cage, patting the young girl on the shoulder. "Hey, it'll be fine. I bet my friends'll rescue us soon."

"How do you know that they're coming?" She whispered. I didn't know if her rough voice was from holding back tears or her cold.

"Because I know my friends, and I know that they would stop at nothing to save me. Annabeth has probably already searched all of America for me."

She sniffled. "I guessss."

"Yeah, well, I _know_. We're gonna get out of here, and then the whitecoats will pay." My jaw clenched. The whitecoats needed to be put to a stop. I won't allow them to continue to experiment on children. When we get out of here, I'll have to get the campers' help to shut this place down for good.

Before Ali could respond, we were interrupted by the door swinging open. In walked a few beefed up Erasers, marching right towards us. I swallowed heavily, tightening my muscles to keep from shaking. However, they walked right passed my cage and instead stopped at Alazne's.

They ripped open her crate. The blonde girl backed up as far as she could, but the Eraser still managed to grab a hold of her thin arm. She cried out as he yanked her out of the confines of her dog cage. Her body was shaking like a leaf.

"No!" I yelled. I scrambled over to the door of my own cage, pounding on the metal bars. "Don't! Take me instead, leave her alone!"

The four wolf-men growled at me. One of them kicked my cage, making my teeth rattle. "Shut up, vermin. The boss called for the snake instead." I wondered where he heard the word 'vermin' before. I would have thought it was a little above his vocabulary.

"Besides, Dr. Lavelle has something special planned for you." Another one spoke up. He sneered at me, revealing a pair of yellow fangs. My stomach tightened at Dr. Loco's name.

The Eraser holding onto Alazne suddenly started marching away. Ali's eyes met mine for a split second. Her gaze was filled with barely concealed fear. My expression probably matched hers. Thoughts of what the whitecoats were about to do to my friend filtered through my mind. None of it was good.

My head fell to rest against the bars of the crate. Right now, I would do anything to trade places with Ali. She wasn't even ten yet. She deserved to have a childhood outside of this nightmare.

My wings flattened against my back as my fists pulled at my hair. For maybe the thousandth time, I found myself praying to anybody who'd listen. _C'mon, please, help us get out of here, for Alazne's sake._

* * *

**Four hours**. Four hours had passed since Alazne had been taken. Or well, I thought it was four hours. I had never been the greatest at keeping track of time. ADHD had a habit of making ten minutes seem like hours, so my time-keeping skills were rough at best. All I knew was that it felt like forever since I last saw the unclaimed daughter of Apollo.

I spent those four hours nervously biting my fingernails and waiting anxiously for my friend to return. What kind of shape would she be in? I had no clue. Hopefully the whitecoats had a moment of clarity and decided to cure Alazne of her sickness. That would've been a great surprise.

Right as I was about ready to bust out of my cage Incredible Hulk style, the steel door was ripped open. Two Erasers waltzed in, dragging a limp form behind them. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from shouting at the mongrels. It wouldn't do any good to yell at them. One, they had Alazne, and two, they were pretty trigger happy when it came to electrifying me.

_Wow, impulse control. Annabeth would be impressed._

When they finally dropped Alazne in her cage, allowing a light bulb to shine down on her for a moment, I couldn't contain my straggled gasp. She looked… she looked like a zombie—almost like she was trying out for an extra on the Walking Dead. Her scales had almost all completely fallen off, leaving patches of raw and bleeding skin all over her body. Her blonde hair was as brittle as straw, like it would fall off from the slightest touch. Her lips were painted blue, contrasting with the bright splashes of red on her chin. She was also shivering as hard as I was in the maze. Maybe they had made her run through it like I did even in her terrible condition?

Anger suddenly filled my gut. These people had hurt my friend. These _monsters_ had hurt my friend.

"Hey, Dog Breath, Chew Toy, over here!" I called to the wolf-men as they were walking away. They paused and turned in my direction, snarls on their faces. I didn't see it though. All I saw was red. "Why don't you just let me out of this cage?"

The bigger one stepped forward, cracking his neck before morphing into his wolf form. "And why would we let the bird out of its cage?" He growled.

"Then maybe we could fight like real men, aye? You know, mano a mano. Or well, I guess it'd be mano a dog-o." Dog Breath lunged for my crate, claws outreached.

_Yes_, I thought. _Perfect_. After I beat the crap outa the guy—wolf, whatever he called himself—I could just swipe his keys, and Alazne and I would be home free.

However, before he could make it to my crate, Chew Toy pulled him back. "Don't you see what it's trying to do?" Sadly, Chew Toy must've retained _some_ brain cells.

Dog Breath snapped at his comrade before the words sank in (it took a while). Finally, he shook the other Eraser off. "I'm gonna rip that bird to pieces." He growled out, glaring at me.

I put on my best scared face. "Oh, you make my widdle heart qwiver!"

The Eraser tried attacking again, only to be pulled back by the other one.

I tutted at him. "You bad ol' putty tat."

In the end, Chew Toy had to practically drag Dog Breath out of the kennel. The Eraser was calling me some pretty creative names the entire way. Seriously, I never knew he was that eloquent.

Suddenly, a soft voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Tweety Bird wass alwaysss my favorite Looney Toonss character."

My head whipped around so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. Alazne had managed to lean herself against the bars of her cage sometime during my conversation with the Erasers, and was now looking at me. Her pupils, I noticed, were different sizes. That couldn't be good.

"Oh, really? Mine was Road Runner, mostly because he's blue."

She huffed—probably her version of a laugh at the moment. "Of courssse."

I inched closer to her, poking my hand through the bars to touch her forehead. "You're burning up."

She sneezed right after I retracted my hand. "I feel like I got locked in the freezer again." She murmured through chattering teeth.

I raised an eyebrow. "Again? How'd you get locked in the first time?"

If possible, her cheeks became even more flushed. "Um… long sstory."

I would've pushed her to continue, because honestly, that sounded like a really funny story that I could possibly use as blackmail later. However, when I realized that she must feel like Hades right now, I kept my mouth shut.

Confirming my suspicions, Ali whimpered. "Perccce…I don't feel good." Her face was scrunched in pain. Her blue eyes looked almost gray. But unlike Annabeth's intense, stormy stare, her eyes were just dull—lifeless.

"It's gonna be fine, Al. You'll see." I murmured.

A single tear dripped down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it. "I want my mommy." I could barely hear her voice.

Suddenly, it felt like I was falling into Tartarus again. "Hey, hey, hey. Shh." I rushed, quickly reaching through the bars again. Ignoring how my arm felt like it would break from the awkward angle I was now in, I rubbed her back in small circles, like my mom did for me when I was upset. "I promised you I'd get us out, right?"

She bobbed her head once.

"And I don't break my promises." I swallowed down the urge to yell at myself that that was a total lie. I hadn't been able to save Bianca when I promised that I would protect her. And I also hadn't been able to keep my promise to Annabeth that we'd never be separated again.

A shudder went through the snake-girl. She bent forward in a coughing fit, her lungs rattling in her chest. Little droplets of blood splattered over the gray metal of the cage. My breath caught in my throat as her eyes fluttered slightly.

"Ughhmmm…" Her body swayed.

I grabbed her arm softly before she could topple over. "Uh, here. Just-just lay down, yeah like that. There you go."

Carefully, I laid her down so that her torso was on the floor. Her breathing became more erratic, and her face paled. Dragons were flying around in my stomach.

"Perccce…"

"No," I quieted her. "Save your strength. You're going to be fine. You can fight this; I know you can."

She took another labored breath before speaking. "I don't…I'm not ssure I can anymore."

"Of course you can. You're the strongest nine-year-old I've ever met!"

"I'm nine and three quartersss."

"Oh. Excuse me—you are the strongest nine-and-three-quarters-year-old I've never met."

"But it hurtss. I don't wanna hurt anymore."

My eyes were starting to sting. The dust was probably messing with my allergies. "You won't have to. Like I said, my friends are going to get here soon. I bet they're on their way now!"

Alazne was silent for a beat. Her face twisted in pain, and she reached for my hand. I grasped it, surprised at how freezing her fingers were. They felt like ice. She squeezed my hand softly. "Percccy… I don't think I'm getting out of here."

I swallowed thickly. "No. You're going to leave here. You are going to go back to your mom, and you are going to live the rest of your life like a normal kid should."

She paused, though most likely to catch her breath and not for dramatic effect. "Even if I did get out…I wouldn't have anywhere to go. I mean, I'm not normal."

"Well, I happen to know a camp for kids that aren't exactly ordinary. I'm sure they'd let you stay there." I bit my lip. Allergies; it was allergies.

Alazne suddenly started coughing again. This time, it went on for longer. I sat back helplessly as violent coughs racked her body. When the attack was finally over, she rubbed her mouth with the hand currently not in mine. It came back red.

The snake-girl glanced at the crimson liquid before wiping it on her shirt. Then her eyes came up to meet mine. "Perccy, I'm not gonna beat around the busssh, 'kay? I'm gonna die. You know it; I know it; it'sss just a fact."

I was about to retort that no, no she obviously wasn't going to die on me. She was perfectly fine; it was just a cold, and she'll be okay in a day or two. But, then I saw her eyes. Their blue depths swirled like a whirlpool. In them, I could see pain, sadness, and resignation.

That's when it finally hit me. Alazne had lost her will to live. She no longer craved the outside world. No, this nightmare broke her. It broke her like Tartarus tried (and somewhat succeeded) to break me. The whitecoats had taken a little girl and tortured her so much that she no longer wanted to survive. I…I didn't - how could someone do that? To another human being? To a nine-and-three-quarters-year-old girl? What special kind of twisted did you have to be to do that?

Her words burst a hole into my dam. Water leaked out of my eyes before I could stop it, and my throat closed up. I didn't even have the heart to enjoy my own dam analogy. My hand squeezed Ali's a little tighter as my vision blurred.

"I'm…I'm just done." The blonde continued. "I've been a lab rat for sso long… I don't even remember what the ssun feelsss like anymore…"

_Bianca, Zoe, Michael, Castor, Lee, Ethan, Silena, Beckendorf, Luke_… All my friends. All of them dead. Because I couldn't save them. Because I wasn't good enough.

"…I've been fighting thiss for sso long, Perccce. But I'm tired of fighting. I jusst need to resst—need it to be over."

It wasn't even a dam anymore. The entire structure just completely collapsed. I'm pretty sure I was a sobbing mess at that moment, but I didn't care. The waterworks had exploded.

Ali had started crying as well. Silent tears streamed down her frail face as she coughed weakly. "Do you know what heaven isss like, Percccy?" Her voice was hushed, suddenly scared.

I rubbed the snot dripping from my nose, trying to collect myself. Images of my trip to the Underworld when I was twelve flashed through my mind. Elysium, the place where heroes went after passing on. I nodded at my friend. "It's beautiful. I'm sure you'll get on the fast-track there."

She didn't ask how I knew. Maybe she just had that much faith in me, or maybe she was too delirious to notice at this point. Her eyes were having a hard time focusing on anything, and blood was slowly trickling out of her nose.

Suddenly, Alazne met my gaze. Her face was serious. "Promise me ssomething... No, two somethingsss."

My jaw clenched, pushing back the wave of sadness trying to consume me. "Anything."

"When you get out of here, pleassse, tell my mom... Tell her I love her, and that I'm sssorry about what I ssaid to her last time. I didn't mean what I ssaid, ssshe hass to know that." Her words were getting slower. I could tell that it was straining her to speak now.

I nodded. "I'm positive she already knows that Al, but sure."

"Okay. And the lasst thing... take down the Sxchool. I know it'sss a big thing to ask, but…I don't want thiss to happen to anyone elssse. The whitecoats will keep doing thiss to kidss like me if no one stopsss them. And no person deservess to live their life in a dog crate."

"I promise." And that was one promise that I would keep no matter the cost. The whitecoats needed to be stopped. Alazne was right—no one deserved this. I would tear down the School with my bare hands if I had to. I swore it by the river Styx.

Alazne seemed to calm after my profession. Her body relaxed, and her eyelids fluttered again. I didn't know what to do. My friend was dying as I held her hand, which was getting colder by the minute. I briefly considered singing like Katniss in the Hunger Games, but then decided that Ali didn't deserve to have my singing as the last thing she ever heard. Complete silence didn't sound too great either. Ali loved to talk, like all children of Apollo. It would be dishonorable if there was no noise at all.

When I was little and before my mom married Smelly Gabe, she would always tell me stories as I went to bed. I'd fall asleep listening to the stories of the great heroes of old. Mostly of the original Perseus, because I'd always loved hearing about the guy I was named after.

"Do you want to hear a story?"

"Like a fairytale?" Ali asked blearily.

"Sort of. More like a modern-day fantasy type thing. You dig?"

She nodded her head in reply.

I cleared my throat. "Okay. Let's see here… Look, I didn't want to be a—"

"Every good story starts with 'once upon a time'." Ali interrupted, her voice now only just above a whisper.

"Fine, fine." I gave in. "Once upon a time, there was a boy named Perseus. Except, he wasn't just a normal boy—he was a demigod. He saved the world twice—with a lot of help from his friends, might I add, though the gods always seemed to forget that part. However, he wasn't always a hero. In fact, he actually started out as a nobody.

"It all started when he went on a field trip with his school for troubled kids…"

And so I told her of the tales of young Perseus. How he and his friends, Wise Girl and Goat-boy, returned the Lightning Bolt and stopped World War III; and how they retrieved the Golden Fleece to rescue Pinecone Face from her tree prison. How Wise Girl and Perseus had to shoulder the weight of the Sky; and how they journeyed through the Endless Maze. How Perseus and Wise Girl and all the other heroes managed to defeat the evil Time Lord and save Olympus.

By the time I got to the epic underwater kiss between Perseus and Wise Girl, Alazne had joined the other fallen in the Land of Heroes.

* * *

**A/N: Dang it, this chapter is even more tear-jerking than the last one. I made myself cry. Please don't kill me for writing this!**

**So, Alazne is dead, Annabeth's final hope for finding Percy has failed, and the Flock is on the run from Erasers once again. Things can definitely not get any worse from here. **

**...Maybe.**

**Anyway, after the next three/four-ish chapters is when the story really starts to pick up. This has all just been setting it up, and in around four chapters the plot will finally be in motion. And yes, that means Percy is getting out of the School soon (a little late, I know). At least there's that to be excited about. **

**Until next time, **

**~Wrendsor **


	18. B1: Chapter XVIII

**A/N: Sorry this took a little longer than usual, but I think I made up for it with the length. It's not a Percy chapter. Sorry about that; I know how most of you like those better. But, this chapter is still very important, as certain developments emerge in this one. So, I would urge you not to just skim over it. ;)**

* * *

Third Person

**Piper knew Annabeth was losing it**. Ever since the daughter of Aphrodite had helped defeat Gaea, she had become more aware of other people's emotions. She didn't know why, though she suspected that during the showdown with Mother Earth, she had somehow broken through the invisible barrier inside her mind and unleashed the full potential of her powers. And to be completely honest, it kind of freaked her out.

It wasn't like she could read their minds or anything (now _that _was a scary thought). She just got flashes of feelings every once in a while. For instance, when she was around Jason, she could feel his love for her like a warm blanket around her shoulders. If someone was mad, it was like their anger was a tangible beast coiled in their stomach and ready to strike. Happiness, frustration, nervousness, infatuation, embarrassment, hatred—she could sense every emotion flitting around in a demigod's mind. It was surprising how many emotions there were, and how many layers there were to a single one.

It made her wonder, off-handedly, that if love was so layered then why was her mother so shallow?

But all stabs at her heritage aside, Piper's newfound power was really starting to get to her. Literally. She found that when someone had a particularly strong emotion, it would sort of start to bleed into her, like two rivers merging together. When a half-blood was enraged, her blood would start to boil (especially when it was Clarisse—that girl seemed to radiate anger). Or when a demigod was excited, a bubble of excitement would fill her gut (one time, she was with Leo and randomly burst into laughter, causing him to simultaneously spit out on his Coke and burst into flame). That being said, it was near impossible for Piper to be around Annabeth.

Okay, that probably sounded callous, but it was sadly true. The daughter of Athena was her best friend, but whenever she got close to her, she suddenly found it hard to breathe. Since Percy's… disappearance, Annabeth had been filled with fear, guilt, loneliness, and anger. She felt helpless just wandering around camp while her boyfriend was gone. Bitterness filled her voice—a bitterness for the gods because they were keeping her from saving her love. Piper could understand her friend's feelings; if Jason had been stolen, and the gods refused to let her rescue him, she'd be furious as well.

But, everything changed after the full moon two weeks ago. When their last hope for finding Percy failed, it was like something broke in the blonde demigod. Her emotions were like a tornado, swirling and thick and disorienting. Despair weighed down her shoulders, like the entire world had collapsed onto her. Dread filled her heart from all the possibilities of what could've happened to him. Remorse clouded her conscience with what she could have done differently back in that alley. Hopelessness overwhelmed her at the thought of never seeing him again.

But above all, Piper could sense her pure, unadulterated _rage_—a red-hot fire that consumed her being and burned in her very soul. It was a wildfire that destroyed everything in its path. Piper had no idea who or what it was directed toward, and she had a feeling that Annabeth didn't completely know either. Maybe it was just an accumulation of everything—Percy's capture, not knowing who took him or why, the gods locking down camp. Heck, Piper wouldn't be surprised if it was also anger at Tartarus, and Gaea, and Kronos, and all the other crap she'd had to face. If the daughter of Aphrodite was in her friend's shoes, she knew that she'd be convinced that the world was plotting against her.

All of those feelings and more were swirling around in Annabeth's mind. So, every time Piper was within three feet of her, it felt like she was drowning and drowning and drowning under all the pain. It was a miracle to Piper that Annabeth was still standing.

It was late in the afternoon, only an hour and a half before dinner would begin in the dining pavilion. Piper was sitting in a shaded part of the arena's stands. There were two reasons for her being in the shadows: one, even though it was technically winter, the camp had a magic force field that made it feel like summer year round; and two, she didn't want Annabeth to know she was there.

The daughter of Athena was hacking the dummies to pieces on the arena floor. She'd already destroyed all the straw ones and had now moved onto the metal automatons built by the Hephaestus cabin, her drakon-bone sword decapitating bronze head after bronze head. Annabeth had yet to see her, so intent on the complete genocide of helpless robots.

It made Piper feel like an intruder to spy on her friend without her knowing, but it wasn't like she was the only one. Grover had already been there when she had snuck in, chewing a tin can silently while he watched the distraught half-blood with worried eyes. Fifteen minutes later, Jason, Leo, and Calypso joined the pair. They had originally come to help Leo make some adjustments on one of the malfunctioning droids, but had wisely changed course after spotting Annabeth.

Now, Piper's kaleidoscope eyes were trained on Annabeth as she made her deadly dance through her robotic enemies. Her hand was clasped in Jason's, and the fingers of her other hand were tapping against her leg. Beside her, Grover clutched his pipes in his hands, chewing his lip so hard that Piper was convinced it would start to bleed. In the row below them, Leo fiddled nervously with a few wires, absent-mindedly bending them into various shapes. Calypso tugged at a lock of her caramel hair, her expression unreadable.

"I don't like this." Jason suddenly muttered. It was the first time anyone spoke. "I don't like just waiting around."

"None of us like waiting, man. It's called ADHD." Leo replied, careful to keep his voice down (for once) so that Annabeth wouldn't notice them.

Jason glared half-heartedly in his direction. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah. The gods put us all in timeout." Leo scowled.

"Who cares about the lockdown?" Jason exclaimed.

Leo's eyes widened. "Since when did Mr. Goody-two-shoes wanna break the rules?"

Piper could feel Jason's muscles tensing. "Percy is still out there. I can't be the only one who wants to find him." She felt a flash of irritation run through her. She didn't know if it came from herself or from her boyfriend.

Piper couldn't help but feel slightly offended by Jason's words. _Of course_ she wanted to find Percy. After the war was over, she and the son of Poseidon's friendship had blossomed. It was mainly due to the fact that Annabeth had been helping Jason with designing the temples for his _Pontifex Maximus _duties since she was an architecture genius, so Piper and Percy had been left bored with nothing to do. Then one day Percy had brought up that Annabeth had told him that Piper knew how to surf. She explained, rather reluctantly, that she and her dad used to go surfing in his free time. Percy became all excited then, like a hyperactive puppy, and insisted that she teach him how to do it. When he turned on his baby seal eyes, she knew she was a goner.

Percy had taken to surfing like a fish to water, which was expected, given that he's the son of the sea god. All he really had to learn was how to stay on the board without losing his balance. Once he was surfing like he was born for it (which he was), they'd gotten into a surfing competition in which Percy was barred from using his water powers and the loser would have to do whatever the winner wanted. Percy had won, but only because he'd cheated and gotten a dolphin to tip her board over (something about, '_you never said anything about using the fish, Piper_,' blah blah blah).

To apologize for his cheating ways, Percy had promised to teach Piper how to skateboard. It was surprisingly fun, and apparently she had a knack for it, according to Mr. Cheaterpants himself. He taught her all the basics and a few cool tricks. After that, they had become great buddies. She even counted him as one of her best friends, next to Annabeth of course.

The others had also gotten closer to the son of Poseidon. Jason and Percy called each other 'bro' and 'dude' so many times that she wouldn't be surprised if they eventually forgot each other's real names. Their bromance had gotten so strong that there were rumors in her cabin that the two were secretly a thing. When she'd told them about it, however, they just laughed and got into a fight about who would be the better kisser. Jason only won after Annabeth had stepped in and told Percy she wouldn't kiss him for a week if he continued to argue about it.

After Leo magically returned from the dead (which Piper was still mad at him about), he and Percy had also become buddies. Really, with their same sense of humor and shared hero complex, it was inevitable. Somehow, they'd managed to team up against the Stolls in an epic prank war. They called themselves 'Team Leo', which they thought was brilliant because of Leo's name and the fact that Percy's Zodiac was Leo. If Piper had thought the son of Hephaestus was bad by himself, it was nothing compared to when both of them were together. Explosions were never too far behind them.

"We all miss him, Jason." Piper replied to her boyfriend, looking down at their clasped hands. "But we can't go against the gods."

This only made him more frustrated. He brought his free hand up to rub his hair. It was slightly longer than his old Roman cut—scruffier than it used to be. Piper liked it better that way. "I just can't figure out _why_." He muttered.

"Why what?"

"Why the gods put the camps on lockdown right after one of their greatest heroes got taken. Why not send demigods on a quest to save him? I mean, they have got to want him back after all he's done for them." Jason pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose—his signature tell for when he was thinking too hard.

Calypso let the lock of hair in her hand drop. "It's because they are scared."

Leo raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "And what do the gods have to be scared about? They didn't even lock us up when the freaking Earth was trying to jump start the apocalypse."

"I think Calypso's right. The gods are nervous about something. Have you seen the weather lately?" said Piper.

Jason nodded. "But Leo's got a point, too. They didn't lock down the camps for Gaea, so why now?"

Piper tapped her fingers, pondering. Suddenly, a wave of anxiety flowed over her. Her eyes snapped over to Grover, who was trying his hardest to keep a straight face but failing. "Grover, what do you know?"

All eyes turned to the satyr. He shifted nervously on the bench at the sudden attention. "W-what do you mean?"

Piper glared at him. "Spill."

The Lord of the Wild gulped, obviously beaten. "I really don't know all that much. Chiron didn't share a lot, even to me."

"Spit it out, goat!" Leo exclaimed impatiently.

"Fine, fine. All he said when I asked why the camps were locked down was, 'Percy wasn't the only one'."

Everyone blinked at him. Finally, Leo cut in. "What does that even mean?"

Grover threw his hands up. "I have no clue! But he won't say anything else. I doubt he's even said anything to Annabeth."

"Perhaps Percy wasn't the only one kidnapped?" Calypso asked.

Piper shook her head. "All of the campers from Camp Half-Blood are accounted for, except for him."

"And Camp Jupiter isn't missing anyone either. Frank or Reyna would've told us so." Jason added.

They lapsed into silence after that, all trying to decipher Chiron's cryptic message (sometimes, Piper swore the old centaur was worse than Delphi). The only sounds were the scrape of the bone sword against metal, the clanging of various chunks of automaton as they clattered to the ground, and Annabeth's ragged breathing due to her Tartarus-induced asthma.

Finally, Calypso broke the uncomfortable silence. "What of the Empathy link, Grover? Have you been able to use it at all?" The former Titaness had the most experience with magic out of their group, so she—if anyone—would be able to understand better.

"The link… it's weird. I think someone is blocking it. Last time, I wasn't able to get through to Percy because he was in a coma for six months." His tone was slightly bitter at the end. Piper suspected that he still harbored anger toward the Queen of the Gods for taking away his best friend for half a year. That was fine with Piper, though; Hera wasn't on Piper's Favorite Deity list either. "This time, it's more like someone put a wall around his mind, so I can't send or receive any messages."

"So, it's just blank then? You get nothing?" Piper questioned.

Grover's eyes grew haunted. "Well, sometimes I get… feelings—flashes of things here and there."

"Like static on a radio!" Leo concluded.

"Sorta, yeah."

"What kind of flashes do you get? What's happening to Percy?" Jason asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

Grover gulped loudly. "It's nothing good, that's for sure."

They let the subject drop, and returned to not talking. Everyone's eyes were trained on the daughter of Athena. Her sword pierced through the chest of the last metal droid—right where the heart would be—and it crumbled to the ground. She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she sheathed her ivory weapon. Her feet made no noise as she stalked out of the arena, her gaze focused straight in front of her.

Piper was the one to shatter the silence this time. She sighed, watching her friend's retreating figure. "What are we going to do about her?"

Leo shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I don't know; I only fix machines."

"Someone should go talk to her." Grover said.

Jason glanced in his direction. "Have you tried? You've known her longer than everyone here."

The satyr's eyes dropped to his lap. "She's avoiding me. I think it has something to do with the Empathy link. She's scared of getting bad news, or no news. Unlike how the saying goes, no news is _definitely_ not good news when it comes to an Empathy link."

Piper wanted to volunteer to be the one to talk to Annabeth. After all, she was one of Annabeth's best friends. The gray-eyed demigod would be more willing to open herself up to Piper. But, she felt that if she and Annabeth tried to talk about Percy, Piper would burst into tears. Her own grief mixed with the mixed emotions flying around Annabeth's head would get the best of the charmspeaker. That wouldn't be beneficial to Annabeth, so as much as she hated to admit, Piper couldn't help at the moment.

"I'll do it."

It was Calypso who finally volunteered herself, which was a surprise. Out of everyone, Piper would have guessed her to be the least willing. She wasn't nearly as close to the daughter of Athena as everyone else was. And there was the fact that she had fallen in love with Annabeth's boyfriend. Though Calypso had gotten over Percy and was now with Leo, there was still some understandable awkwardness between the two girls. If Piper was being honest, it was probably the only time she ever saw Annabeth look awkward (that was usually Percy's job).

Jason looked as surprised as Piper felt. "Are you sure? I mean, I could always talk to her."

Leo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Callie, Jason can talk with Annabeth. They could chat about nerdy stuff like math and architecture. That always cheers her up."

Leo dodged Jason's shove, which almost made the son of Jupiter topple over if Piper hadn't grabbed his arm.

Calypso glared at her boyfriend, obviously disliking the nickname. She sighed and shook her head. "No, it's fine. Besides… I can empathize with her."

Piper remembered how Percy had been moored on her island, and how he had left her. Even though it wasn't completely his fault, the abandonment had still probably been hard on Calypso. If anyone knew how Annabeth was feeling at the moment, it was her.

"And I also need to speak with her." Calypso added, her voice tinged with… guilt? Regret? Piper couldn't tell. The former Titaness stood up, giving her boyfriend a small smile before walking away in the direction Annabeth had left.

Piper bit her lip, and Jason, noticing her worried expression, gave her hand a soft squeeze. Yes, Piper knew Annabeth was losing it. She just hoped her friend would be able to keep from falling apart before Percy could be saved.

* * *

Annabeth

**The sun beat down on my neck** as I stared into the lake. Today, the water was unruly. Waves crashed onto the beach like a hammer striking an anvil. They lapped at my ankles, almost like they were trying to pull me under. The lake had been acting like that for the past month now. I was certain that if I were to watch the news, bodies of water everywhere would be tumultuous. It was like the sea itself was lamenting the disappearance of my boyfriend, which wasn't so off, given that Poseidon was his father.

I was sitting on the wooden dock with my feet in the frigid water. My shoes lay discarded beside me, along with my drakon-bone sword. After the grueling workout, it was nice to cool down at the lake. But, that wasn't why I had come here. No, I came here because this was the place I came every day at exactly 5:00PM.

My life had become a schedule. I lost myself in it, for in it I could forget about his absence, even if it was only a brief respite. At seven o'clock, I would go to breakfast and eat whatever Malcolm picked out (he had stepped in early on, telling me that I was too thin and that he wouldn't allow me to waste away to nothing). From seven thirty to noon, I would work on my projects for Olympus and help Jason with designing the new temples for the minor gods. After that, I'd go to the fighting arena and practice my sword skills until five. At that time, I would go to the dock and try not to think about what was happening to Percy because I had failed him. When half an hour passed, I would return to the Poseidon cabin to shower. At six, I would go to dinner (once again, Malcolm would watch over me like a hawk to make sure I ate enough). After dinner was the campfire.

Nowadays, it was a depressing event. The empty space where the son of Poseidon used to sit always seemed more prevalent then to everyone; the fire burned an onyx black, reflecting the melancholy mood of the campers. I would stay behind after the others left, staring into the dark, unearthly flames. Someone would always stay behind with me. Most of the time it would be Grover or Piper, but sometimes it was Jason, or Leo, or Nico, or even Clarisse. We wouldn't say anything—just sit. Words weren't needed to describe how we felt. Then at ten o'clock, I would go back to cabin three and lay in my bed, staring at the empty bunk beside me where Percy was supposed to be and waiting for the nightmares to pull me under.

Each day was a struggle. It was a battle to fight back the emotions that threatened to drown me every minute of the day. I felt like I was traveling through a thick fog. I was a wraith—not completely alive, just going through the motions.

A creaking noise dragged me out of the depths of my mind. I didn't move as the footsteps grew closer, instead staring out at the green expanse of the lake. A weight settled beside me, and a pair of feet soon joined mine in the water. The person didn't speak for several minutes.

"How are you?" The melodic voice belonged to none other than Calypso. It surprised me, and my eyes flickered over to her of their own accord. The girl was wearing khaki shorts that stopped mid-thigh and a plain white tee-shirt with a few dirt smudges on it. Her caramel-colored hair was loose, tumbling down one shoulder in beautiful waves. Around her head she wore a crown made of alternating red, pink, and white roses, most likely made for her by Juniper or one of the Demeter kids. Her soft almond eyes were focused on me.

I resisted the urge to clench my teeth. That question was going to drive me insane. Everyone seemed to want to know how I was feeling. How did they think I was? My boyfriend had been kidnapped for the second time, and it was my fault! Oh, and as icing on the cake, I couldn't even go try to rescue him! So yeah, I felt fan-_freaking_-tastic. Instead of replying verbally, I just shrugged my shoulders.

Calypso sighed. "Yes, that was a stupid question on my part. I apologize."

I didn't know how to reply. To be honest, I never knew what to say around Calypso, and it really aggravated me. I didn't hold it against her for falling for Percy. It was pretty much impossible _not_ to (I would know—I tried). But, what happened in Tartarus… Every time I was around her, the memories forced themselves to the forefront of my mind. The blindness; thinking Percy had abandoned me; Percy nearly dying from all the curses… I closed my eyes briefly, shoving the images down.

After a few moments, Calypso spoke up again. "I know how it feels to lose someone you love."

_I can't see. Darkness engulfs my vision so all there is, is black, black, black._

"I was on that island for thousands of years. It was just me for centuries. I don't exactly know how I stayed sane."

_Percy's voice calls out to me, filled with pain, longing, and fear. I try to follow it, stumbling over the uneven ground in my haste. _

"Then Odysseus came, and he was so smart, and charming, and well… He was a person. He made me not feel so alone."

_Then Percy's voice disappears, and I know with absolute certainty that he's gone and never coming back. Why did he leave me? _

"But he had Penelope. So, he left me, and I was alone again. Years passed, and soon Drake washed ashore. Of course, I had to fall for him too, because of the Fates' curse. But he had to return to his Elizabeth."

_Abandoned. Percy has abandoned me. Just like my dad did all those years ago, and Thalia, and Luke… Why does everyone I love have to leave me?_

"Then Percy came, and I nursed him back to health—which took a lot of magic, since he just _had_ to go get himself blown up in a volcano. I started to care for him, but he was already in love with another." Calypso was staring at me, a small smile on her lips, but I couldn't react. The feelings… being so alone—isolated… I couldn't shake them. They coursed through my veins like poison.

"They say the third time's the charm, but not for me." Her voice became hushed at this and her eyes dropped to her lap.

That's when I realized… all these feelings I had, they were hers. She had cursed me to feel exactly how she had when Percy left her. For the first time, I felt empathy toward the so-called 'seductress'.

Calypso closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing down the memories and collecting herself. She turned herself more fully toward me, her hand reaching for mine. "But Annabeth, what I did to you… I felt it when the curse was released, and I am truly sorry. No one deserves to feel as I did, least of all you. I was angry and resentful, and I let it get the better of me."

I took a shuddering breath. "Calypso, I don't blame you." To my surprise, I found that my words were true. It wasn't her fault—not really. The gods had wronged her—trapped her on an island prison and cursed her to a fate worse than death. Anyone would have gotten mad; I most likely would have snapped sooner. Respect toward the former Titaness filled me.

"That is good to hear, but I would still like to apologize for my actions."

"…Thank you, Calypso." And I _was_ thankful. It felt as if some of the weight had been taken off my shoulders. I suspected Calypso felt the same way, as she sighed a breath of relief.

"If you need anyone to talk to, I'm a good listener." She offered.

Though I most likely wouldn't take her up on it, it was still a nice gesture. If anyone could understand the pain I was going through, it was Calypso. Except… Calypso had allowed Percy to go, despite her feelings. But for me, I had failed to save him from being taken. That made all the difference.

I bit my lip. "I appreciate it."

From the look on her face, I knew Calypso had realized what I'd been thinking, but she didn't comment. She squeezed my hand slightly before letting go. We sat in companionable silence for a few more minutes, both staring out at the ravaging lake. Then, I grabbed my shoes and stood up, sheathing my sword. I nodded at the daughter of Atlas before making my way to cabin three for my shower. Calypso smiled and waved as I left.

* * *

**After a quick shower** and making myself somewhat presentable, I made my way to the dining pavilion. It was already filled with campers, dinner having started about ten minutes ago. As I trudged over to the Athena table, I saw Katie Gardner, who had been forced to return from school because of the lockdown. Other campers who usually just came for the summer were present also, so that the pavilion was packed. It made maneuvering around the different benches difficult. I nearly tripped over a young Hermes camper who'd been shoved of his bench. He quickly pointed a finger at Chris, who gave me a sheepish grin and helped his brother back up. I sent a glare at both of them before stepping my way to table six.

Finally, I reached where my half-siblings were seated. Olivia was immersed in a novel while Sophie braided her hair. Alden and Sage were arguing (as per usual) about the pros and cons of brutalist buildings. Hugo was making a tower of stacked cups, and Malcolm just watched them all with an amused expression.

Seeing me, Malcolm stood up and handed me a plate filled with food. "We were waiting for you to get here before making the sacrifices."

His voice got the others' attentions, and they scrambled to their feet.

"Finally," Alden muttered, "I was starving!"

Sage elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up, Aldie."

Malcolm rolled his eyes at the twos antics, shaking his head. "C'mon guys, let's go."

Everyone followed behind him like ducklings. I brought up the rear. As we passed the Poseidon table, my grip on the food-filled plate tightened. Hugo must've noticed my tensing from in front of me. He turned his head, his big gray eyes boring into mine. To me, he looked like a little owl fledgling. Hugo was the youngest Athena camper—only six years of age—and had sandy blond hair that always stuck up in the back and the biggest eyes. He reached back to tug on my shirt, balancing his plate on one hand.

My lips turned up in an imitation of a smile. I ruffled his hair, further messing it up. He seemed to take this as a good sign, because his mouth widened in a gap-toothed grin.

After the other Athenians burned their portions of food, I stepped up to the brazier. I dumped most of the barbecue in and a large slice of watermelon. Once I made my offerings to my mother as normal, I added an extra prayer up for Hestia.

_Please, Lady Hestia, help lead Percy home. _

The smell that wafted up to me was a mixture of chocolate chip cookies and sea salt. It was Percy's smell—my home, my hearth. Tears welled in my eyes, but I blinked them away.

Malcolm put a hand on my shoulder and led us back to the table. I lowered myself in my seat between him and Olivia before staring at my dish now only half-filled with food. Picking up a fork, I began the tedious effort of sustaining my body.

After a few bites, I set the fork back down. What right did I have of eating if Percy could be stuck somewhere starving?

Instead, I turned my attention to the head table, where Chiron and the other non-demigods sat. I spotted Grover sitting next to the centaur, chewing on a napkin. Mr. D was also present, glaring at a Coke can and counting down the days when he could drink wine again. Since her arrival, Calypso also sat at that table. She was seated next to a dryad, talking about something excitedly as she moved her hands in large gestures. I wondered if they were discussing gardening.

My eyes, however, were trained on the figure sitting next to the Lord of the Wild. Rachel Elizabeth Dare was moving some mashed potatoes around her plate, staring into them as if they were the reason for all her problems. Her red hair was tied in a messy bun at the nape of her neck with a scarf, and her camp shirt had splashes of paint on it. Dark bags hung under her green eyes like she hadn't slept for many days.

Since the Oracle had arrived the day after the full moon two weeks ago, she had barely left her cave. The only time she ever left her abode was to eat dinner. I had attempted to talk to her a couple times, but every time I would go to her cave, she'd be mysteriously gone. I'd come to the conclusion that she was avoiding me, which made my will to speak with her grow. But, you can't really sneak up on someone who can see the future, so all my attempts were in vain.

It made me wonder what she was trying to hide. Obviously she knew something crucial—her strange actions proved that—and with the way she's been acting, I was sure that it was not good. But, it didn't matter to me whether the news was god or bad; I just wanted to know. It was the unknown that was getting to me—the not knowing what was happening to Percy or where he was. Even if she told me that he was back in Tartarus, it would be better than this.

Suddenly, pain exploded in my mind. It was like someone was driving a hot poker right between my eyes. I grabbed my head, trying not to scream out.

"Annabeth?" I could barely hear Sophie's worried voice.

_Breathe through it_, I thought. _Breathe in for the count of five. Hold for seven. Breathe out for eight_.

_Inhale. Hold. Exhale._

_Inhale. Hold. Exhale._

And as quickly as it came, it disappeared. I blinked my eyes to clear them, only to be faced with all my siblings staring at me in concern.

"Annabeth, what was that?"

"Do you have a migraine? Wait, do demigods even get migraines?"

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?

I held up my clammy hands to quiet them. "It's okay guys. I just had a headache."

"You call that a headache?" Malcolm asked, eyebrow raised in accusation.

"Yes, Malcolm. But it's gone now." I replied testily.

Hugo blinked his owlish eyes at me. "So, you're all better then?"

My gaze softened slightly. "I am completely fine."

Sage rolled his eyes. "Uh huh, whatever you say."

I resisted the urge to smack the back of his head with Olivia's book. Instead, I just rose to my feet, ignoring the wave of vertigo. "I'm just going to go back to my cabin. Take a nap, maybe."

"You sure you're okay? Don't need anyone to escort you?" asked Malcolm.

I shook my head. "No. It was probably just from overexerting myself during training. I'll be fine tomorrow."

Malcolm's eyes were filled with disbelief, but he didn't say anything more. The others waved their goodbyes as I made my way through the pavilion and back toward cabin three.

However, just as I passed the Poseidon table, I heard the scrapping of a chair and several gasps. Turning around, I saw Rachel standing on her chair, green smoke billowing around her. My legs faltered, and I had to hold onto the table to steady myself. There was another prophesy? When could we catch a break? But then a tiny spark of hope flared back to life in my gut. Could this be a way of getting Percy back?

Rachel's mouth opened, and the Spirit of Delphi spoke, her voice low and rasping.

_Trapped in a land without rain, the Sea withers away_

_And where six half-bloods fail, six Angels enter the fray_

_To free the Bane of Time that has forgotten the years_

_But not before the Vanquished Mother can reappear_

_Disregarded and Scorned, Cunning's vengeance shall prevail_

_Unless Science and Myth assemble when all else fails_

Rachel's glowing eyes slid closed, and she toppled over. Grover barely managed to catch her before she crashed to the ground. Around me, pandemonium ensued. The campers were all wondering what the new prophesy could possibly mean. Meanwhile, I was having an internal battle.

The first line—could it have anything to do with Percy? It lined up with what the map had said about his location, as there were a lot of deserts in California and Arizona. But, what about the second line? Would six half-bloods fail to save him? And what did it mean by angels? Last time, the angel mentioned in a prophesy meant Nico di Angelo, but how could there be six of them? And what was the Bane of Time? I knew that the Athena Parthenos was the Giant's Bane, and the ophiotaurus was Olypmus's Bane, but I've never heard of the Bane of Time. And the Vanquished Mother… Who could that be? Hopefully it wasn't Gaea rising again. We had sacrificed so much to put her down once, I wasn't sure we could do it again.

Chiron was trying to settle everyone down, but to no avail. Finally, Dionysus huffed. "Shut up!"

His godly voiced echoed through the dining pavilion. Everyone immediately quieted, even the Ares cabin.

The wine god rolled his eyes. "Finally. All you ungrateful brats were giving me a headache."

"Erm, thank you, Dionysus." Chiron took over from there. "Now, Will, Kayla, please take Ms. Dare to the infirmary to recuperate. I'm sure that has taken a lot out of her. As for what our Oracle has said, we will discuss the prophesy tomorrow at the Head Councilor meeting. Now, get back to your meals, children."

With minimal grumbling, everyone returned to what they were doing. But, there was an ominous air hovering over the campers' heads. I took a deep breath, reassembling my thoughts. Shoving down my remaining nausea, I resumed on my way to cabin three. However, the prophesy kept repeating itself in my head on a loop. I kept getting stuck on the very last part, and how it seemed eerily familiar to what Minerva had told me.

…_When all else fails…_

…_Wisdom shall fail you._

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you guys think of Piper's POV? My favorite part would have to be the 'Team Leo' thing. It sounds like something those two dorks would do. I also like the Percy/Jason bromance, and of course Percy and Piper's friendship.**

**Did you like the talk between Annabeth and Calypso? I thought those two needed to clear the air, sort of like how Nico had to clear the air with Percy in BoO. **

**And finally, _finally_, we have the new prophesy. I had that one typed a long time ago and just now got to put it in. How do you guys like it? I hope I didn't do too terribly; I usually suck at poetry. **

**Any predictions? Or opinions? Or suggestions? I'd love to hear any and all feedback. It's always great to read what you think of the story so far. :)**

**Next chapter is Percy, then Max, then I don't know. So, yeah.**

**Goodbye for now,**

**~Wrendsor**


	19. B1: Chapter XIX

**A/N: And here you go: the next chapter! The POV's go back and forth in this one quite a bit. Sorry if it seems rushed to you; I'm trying to get to the action part of the story.**

* * *

Perseus

**"Do it**. I am not asking this time."

"Nope."

"You will be severely punished if you do not."

"Still not gonna happen, psycho."

The disembodied voice huffed in frustration. I pictured a purple-faced whitecoat scrubbing his bald head, steam coming out of his ears. This conversation had been going around in circles for the past couple minutes (really, my skill at beating around the bush surprised me; Annabeth would be impressed). It was a miracle that I hadn't been shocked yet for my 'impudence', as the whitecoat so kindly put it.

About five minutes ago, the Erasers had shoved me into one of the many testing rooms. This one was different than the rest. It was shaped like a cylinder, about twenty feet in diameter, and made entirely out of metal. The ceiling was at least as high as a four story building, making me feel like I was in a tube.

Then the whitecoat had started talking to me through a speaker I couldn't see. The voice belonged to a guy—at least, I _thought_ it was a guy. His voice was kind of squeaky, reminding me of the rats that sometimes accompanied me in the kennels.

"If you do not attempt to fly within the next minute, there will be consequences." The whitecoat tried to make his voice intimidating, but it didn't really work well with how high-pitched his vocals were. I doubted even a kindergartener would find him scary.

I crossed my arms over my chest and dug my heels into the floor. "No way, no how." I said like a pouting four-year-old.

The crazy scientists were trying to get me to fly, but that was one thing I absolutely refused to do. I was the son of Poseidon; flying went against every fiber of my being. Who cares if they had grafted wings onto me, I wasn't going to use them. Nuh uh, never gonna happen.

There was another reason for my adamant refusal to spread my wings and fly. Ever since what happened to Ali, I had stopped listening to what the whitecoats told me to do. After all, they were the ones that had killed me friend, so they didn't deserve my obedience. I vowed to make their lives as miserable as possible. Yes, it was a pretty suicidal thing to do—I mean, I had a freaking shock collar on for crying out loud—but I guess my nickname wasn't 'Seaweed Brain' for nothing.

Besides, how did they expect me to fly in here? I had no idea how to use the wings in the first place, besides as a warm blanket (the only pro of becoming a bird-kid freak: you have a feathery blanket attached to your back, perfect for cold nights locked in a dog cage). And secondly, even if I _had_ known how to fly, there was too little space to do so. With my wings fully extended, there would be less than a foot of leeway in either direction, so I couldn't really take off with that little room. Seriously, it was like they were setting me up for failure. Which, thinking about it, was probably the case.

Seconds ticked by in silence. I stubbornly held my place, making no move to fly. Instead, my wings tucked more firmly into my back, the feathers rubbing against bare skin where the holes in my shirt were.

Just as I was about to start humming the Jeopardy theme song, another voice spoke through the invisible speakers. Hearing it made my wings ruffle in agitation.

"Subject 17," She mused, "I heard you were causing problems again."

"Maggie," I said with fake enthusiasm, "how have you been? The illegal human experimentations going well?" In my mind, Mrs. O'Leary played _Get the Mad Scientist_.

"Just as charming as ever, I see."

My lips turned up in a shit-eating grin. "I aim to please."

I could feel her scowl. "If that is true, then why don't you fly for Dr. Short, hm?"

My shoulders shrugged innocently. "He didn't say the magic words."

In the background, I could hear Dr. Short give an exasperated cry. It was cut off abruptly though, so I suspected Mette shushed him somehow. The two scientists conversed in low tones for a more moments before going silent again.

Dr. Lavelle then spoke, her voice lowered in that no-nonsense way adults used to deal with misbehaving children. "You will fly for us, Subject 17. Now. If you refuse, you will not enjoy what comes next."

An image of Alazne floated into my mind. She didn't deserve the fate she had gotten, but I would make sure to avenge her. I gritted my teeth. "No."

Instead of being angry like I expected, Mette sounded almost… pleased. "Fine. Let's see how long you can hold your breath for, then, shall we?"

"What are you—" I didn't get to finish my question before it was answered for me.

A drop of something landed on my face. I whipped my head up, trying to find the source, only to have my eyes splashed again. Blinking away the wetness, my eyes zeroed in on a spot on the ceiling. Right in the center was something that I had overlooked previously. It looked almost like a water drain, except it was on the ceiling instead of the floor.

Wait a minute…

"Schist."

Almost like I had just muttered the command word, water gushed out of the fixture. The stream of liquid slammed onto my head, leaving me sputtering. I stumbled out of the waterfall's wake, coughing up a lung-full of water. Now, here was the real kicker: it was salt water. Normally, salt water didn't affect me. In fact, salt water to a son of Poseidon was like five cans of Red Bull. Now, however, it made me feel like I had swallowed a cheese grater.

I suddenly felt bad for all the times I'd hit Jason in the face with a wave at the beach.

I scrambled over to the wall, leaning against the curved metal and trying to get as far away from the water as possible. The salt stung my still-healing feet. Scrubbing the liquid from eyes, I watched as the cascading water poured out over the steel floor. With every passing second, the stream squirted out faster and covered the room. By now, the water was already to my ankles.

My breath quickened. "What are you doing?" I tried to keep the panic from my voice.

"The water will stop when—and only when—you fly for us." Mette didn't even bother to keep the smile from her voice.

I growled in frustration, shoving my wet hair out of my face. How did she expect me to fly with a freaking waterfall in the middle of the room?

The water was now just passed my waist. I shivered; it felt like I was back in the waters of Alaska with how cold it was. And with the speed the water was going at, it would probably reach the ceiling in just under ten minutes. I felt bad for the people on the Titanic if this was how it felt being in the frigid ocean. Rose had the right idea by staying on that door.

The tips of my wings were submerged under the water. With a lot of effort, I lifted them so that they were out of the wetness. The new muscles there weren't used to the movement. I had never really used the wings for anything before, not even flapping. So basically, the wing muscles were as weak as a newborn baby's neck, barely able to even support their own weight.

Reason number four of why it was crazy to demand me to fly.

As the water made its way slowly up my chest, I began to panic. My wings awkwardly twitched behind me, splashing the water everywhere. I remembered hearing somewhere that if a bird's wings got wet, then it couldn't fly. Well, with the exception of ducks and penguins; for some reason, they had a special protection from the water. Hopefully I was injected with some type of albatross DNA. Knowing my luck, however, and the whitecoats' twisted sense of humor, that was probably a no.

My teeth chattered as the water reached my neck. I had to strain on my tippy-toes to keep my head above it. My breaths were coming in small pants as I nervously eyed the ever-flowing waterfall.

Anger suddenly filled me. Here I was, struggling to keep my head above the water. The white coats were literally going to drown me in my own element. I couldn't let that happen. I was Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and I would not be killed by water. With a newfound surge of energy, I pulled at the near nonexistent tug in my gut. Ignoring the red hot pain that immediately flared in my stomach, I kept groping for control over the water. The sea didn't like to be contained. Sooner or later, the sea would always find a way to freedom. If water could cut through mountains, then I could break through this barrier.

My jaw clenched as I tightened my grip on the invisible cord inside me. My insides were burning away to cinders, yet I never faltered. Around me, the water quivered, like it was confused on what to do. I took this as a good sign and squeezed harder.

Suddenly, it felt as if my guts were being washed in the Styx. I gasped, only for water to fill my mouth. Surprised, my grip over my powers loosened, and the barrier snapped back into place. My legs pushed off the floor, trying to find air. As soon as my head broke through the surface, I coughed up the water I'd swallowed. My body ached from the backlash of trying to use my powers, but I forced myself to keep kicking so that my head remained above the water.

It was hard to keep myself afloat. The wings attached to my back were nothing but dead weight, and I doubted the water-logged feathers helped any. The stream of water pounded in my ears like the beat of a drum.

I could feel a panic attack coming. Using what Will Solace told me and Annabeth about handling panic attacks, I started counting my breaths. Inhale for five seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds. When I'd asked him why it was five, seven, and eight, he had said something about controlling the amount of oxygen to the brain or something like that. I didn't really understand it, but it did help with the hyperventilating.

The water level rose another couple meters. It was about halfway up the wall now. My feet struggled to keep swimming.

_Five, seven, eight._

My arms felt like lead from pawing at the water. I scrambled to find a hold or something on the wall, but it was as smooth as marble.

_Five, seven, eight._

My wings flapped helplessly. They were too wet to get me in the air. Stupid non-duck genes.

_Five, seven, eight._

My lips were blue from the freezing liquid. My tongue felt swollen in my mouth.

_Five, seven, eight._

I could almost reach the ceiling now. The metal stretched out only three feet above my head.

_Five, seven, ei—oh, screw the belly breathing I'm gonna drown!_

Memories flashed before my eyes. I was sinking into a bog, choking on the dirt. The glass from the aquarium disappeared, and waves were crashing into Frank and me. Piper was telling Jason and me to sacrifice our life forces to the naiads as the water slowly overwhelmed us.

My breathing, against better judgement, became more erratic. There was only two feet left. Then one foot. Six inches…

I took a giant breath, filling my lungs with as much air as I possibly could. And then, my head was suddenly underwater. My eyes squeezed shut against the saltiness. Terror consumed me. They wouldn't actually kill me, right? I mean, they had spent so much effort on getting my genes just right that they wouldn't want me to just die. Then again, they had let the pig-boy die, and Alazne. Why would I be any different?

If only my enemies could see me now. The son of Poseidon, killed by drowning. They'd get a kick out of this.

My lungs started to burn. I didn't know how much longer I could hold my breath. Already, my thoughts were turning hazy. I no longer had the strength to keep swimming, and my body slowly started to sink down, down, down.

In the back of my mind, I wondered how Annabeth would take the news. Nico being the son of Hades, he would be able to feel me dying. Would Annabeth move on eventually? And my mom—she deserved a better son than me. She was always worrying if I was okay. Maybe her and Paul would have another kid; a mortal one who wasn't the subject of two Great Prophesies.

But wait, what about Grover? We had an empathy link. It hadn't been working ever since I'd gotten kidnapped, but it was still there. I could feel it in the back of my mind, lying dormant. Would he still die when I did, even though the link was short-circuited?

White spots danced in my vision. My lungs were screaming at me for oxygen. I told them to shut up.

How long had I been under? It was hard to tell. All my mind could think about was trying to get air.

When I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I took an instinctual breath. Unlike what happened back in the aquarium, the water choked me and I had to spit it out. That was when the entire situation came crashing down on me.

I was drowning. I was actually going to drown. It was one of my biggest fears coming true—a stupid phobia that I'd gotten from nearly suffocating in a bog that didn't seem at all stupid right now. Terror ceased my heart.

So, of course I started hyperventilating. Let me give you a tip: never start hyperventilating underwater. It's bad, trust me.

My head felt like it was going to explode. My body was heavier than a Laistrygonian.

So, this was how the great Percy Jackson was going to die. I always pictured that I'd have some heroic last stand with Riptide in my hand, not this slow torture crap. But I guess you couldn't really be picky about it. At least I could finally rest.

With that thought, everything faded away into nothingness.

* * *

Third Person

**Margaretta Lavelle was not pleased**. Since the demise of Subject 12, Perseus had become even more of a nuisance than before (which she hadn't previously thought possible). Subject 12's death had genuinely surprised the scientist. The girl had been in perfect health until three days before her death. It was exactly how the child injected with _Sus scrofa _(wild boar) DNA had perished. Now, her sneaking suspicions were confirmed.

However, without his fellow inmate, Subject 17 started acting out more than usual. It aggravated Mette more than she let on. He refused to comply with any of their experiments no matter the consequence, making it difficult to gather data. At the rate they were going, she would never be able to finish the testing in time to implement the final plan.

Unless…

An idea worthy of her mother formed in her mind. Mette watched the screen showing the limp form of Perseus Jackson. Once the room had been drained completely, several scientists had been quick to resuscitate the subject. His heartbeat had stopped for one minute, but now the steady beep of the heart monitor indicated that he was back in the land of the living.

Dr. Lavelle turned to the man beside her. He shrunk under her sharp gaze. "Dr. Short, please inform our guest that she is needed in my office. Also, have the mutts bring Subject 17 to Containment Room 4."

"Yes, Dr. Lavelle. Right away." The scientist squeaked out before scurrying out of the room.

Mette glanced once more toward the screen before marching out of the observation room as well. She had a meeting with a witch to attend.

* * *

Perseus

**When I woke up**, the first thing I thought was '_Woo, not dead!_' The second thing was '_Wow, I _really_ need to stop awaking up strapped to a bed._'

I shook the haziness from my head and, lo and behold, I was lying on an uncomfortable hospital bed with my limbs restrained. My entire body was aching, most likely due to being nearly drowned. I groaned, my head flopping back to rest on the threadbare cushion.

"Hello, Subject 17."

I groaned again. Seriously, I wanted to grab her, hop on Blackjack, and drop her from the height of the Empire State Building.

My eyes rolled to where the weasel-faced whitecoat was standing. "Hey, Peggy. I'd shake your hand but…"

Mette ground her teeth, a fake smile plastered on her face. "That won't be necessary."

I fidgeted against the restraints. They cut into my wrists and ankles. Was it possible to get metal-burn? "What do you want now?" I asked impatiently. My mind was still reeling from the whole drowning thing; I didn't think I could handle any more mental tortures today.

Dr. Loco stared at me with her unnerving cat-like eyes before speaking. "What do you believe in?"

"Excuse me?" Her question caught me off guard.

"Would you believe me if I told you that your entire life up until this very moment has been a lie?"

My jaw dropped. Had she completely lost her marbles? "Um, no. But maybe you should check into a mental hospital. I'm sure they'd be happy to have you."

Instead of giving an angry retort, Mette threw her head back and laughed. Dr. Frankenstein was _laughing_. The sound of it unnerved me. Once she was finished, she looked at me with condescension. "Oh, the scientists did an outstanding job on you. It's fascinating, really."

Underneath me, my wings ruffled nervously. "What're you talking about?"

"Do you really think you're a hero, Perseus? You?" She scoffed.

My heart stuttered to a stop. "What?"

"Do you seriously believe that you are the child of a god? That the Greek gods exist and have adapted to the modern world? That you and your camp of demigods helped bring down Kronos and Gaea?" She shook her head incredulously. "It was my idea for Olympus to be above the Empire State Building. I'm quite proud of that."

I was about to have a mental breakdown. How did she know all of that? She was a mortal, wasn't she? Why did she know everything I had done?

"Though, I suppose my greatest brilliance would have to be that girl. What was her name again? Ah yes, _Annabeth_."

Hearing my girlfriend's name, I jerked against the cuffs. "What did you do to her? If you even touched her—"

Mette's chuckle broke me off. "You don't get it, do you, Perseus? None of it was real, and neither was she. It was all part of our experiment."

"You're a psychopath, I don't know what you're—"

"Your mother sold you to us when you were a newborn. You've never left this building before."

I growled. "You're lying. My mom would never—"

"When you turned twelve, we wanted to test how susceptible to manipulation children's minds were, so we gave you a false background and came up with a world in which Greek gods ruled. To our surprise, you believed all of it, no matter how illogical."

"I don't believe you."

She continued, "Of course, we weren't just testing your gullibility. We also tested your reactions to various instances: your mother's believed death, your friend's betrayal, carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, et cetera, et cetera. What may have surprised me the most was how you willingly fell into Tartarus for that girl. Though, I suppose with all the data that we'd gathered, loyalty was always your weakness."

I didn't know what to say—what to think. How did she know all that? What she was saying wasn't possible, and yet… "No! You're lying!" I yelled. Annabeth was real, Annabeth was real, Annabeth was real.

Dr. Lavelle smirked, reading my inner turmoil. "I can prove that it was all in your head." She then walked closer to me and unlocked the cuff around one of my wrists. She grabbed my arm and shoved it in front of my face.

It was completely smooth. Where the Roman tattoo used to be was only unblemished skin. Even the small scar on my hand from falling off my skateboard when I was nine was gone. My eyes widened. "No…"

"Yes, Perseus. You have never left the School. You were never a demigod. Your so-called 'friends' never existed, and neither did Subject 12."

I swallowed hard. That couldn't be—it was all too real. My entire life couldn't have been just some big test that whitecoats made up. Annabeth wasn't just a figment in my imagination. I glared hard at my forearm, willing the SPQR brand to magically reappear.

After a few moments, my arm suddenly turned blurry. I blinked in confusion, furrowing my eyebrows. Nope, definitely not a trick of the eye—my arm was definitely starting to blur.

Then, something clicked in my brain. Before I'd gotten kidnapped, Hazel had taught me a few things about the Mist. It could be used to change how you see things. For instance, you could make a skeleton saber-toothed tiger look like a calico kitten. Or, you know, a Roman tattoo look like normal skin.

As soon as the thought passed my mind, the Mist dispersed in a small puff. I found myself staring at the black trident branded on my forearm.

Mette took a sharp intake of breath. Her expression was furious. She looked ready to blow her top off. I laughed at her. "Nice try, Greta, but I know who I am." _And apparently, so do you._

The whitecoat glared at me. She didn't bother to reply before stomping out of the containment room, leaving me with a nice farewell gift in the form of an electric shock. Ah, the joys of being a human guinea pig.

* * *

Third Person

**Forget not pleased**, Margaretta was furious. Why did her plan fail? How did that insolent boy see through the Mist?

"I told you that my magic might not work with _that creature_. Once the _molü_ is in his system, my sorcery has little effect on him. Curse that idiotic Hermes."

Mette paced angrily in her office, her white coat billowing out behind her. A dark-haired woman wearing a black _chiton_ sat atop the whitecoat's desk, examining her nails.

"Did you at least manage to send the message to those Romans?" Dr. Lavelle asked, her voice turning sour on 'Romans'.

The woman crossed her legs. "Of course. I don't know why you didn't let me just turn them all into guinea pigs. And that other boy, too. He looks much better as a rodent than he does a bird anyway."

Mette resisted the urge to growl. "That isn't part of Mistress's plan."

"Oh yes, our _Mistress_." The witch drawled. "And what is her plan, exactly, hm? I have yet to speak with her. How have you—a child born of a broken vow—been able to speak with our Highness?"

The scientist stopped her pacing abruptly, turning to glare at the woman. "Do not speak to me like that. You know fully well that I am Mistress's Second in Command. You are my underling, so you will treat me with due respect."

The dark-haired sorceress huffed, but conceded. She went back to examining her cuticles.

Resuming her former pacing, Mette sighed in frustration. Perseus was still a problem. He refused to cooperate, so something must be done. Her original plan to fool him with the Mist already failed. Now, she would have to take more drastic measures.

"Bring me Mnemosyne." She demanded.

The witch narrowed her green orbs. "I am the Immortal Sorceress, Halfling. Don't order me around like some mindless _Empousa_."

Mette clenched her jaw, lowering her voice threateningly. "Bring me the Titaness, now, or you will end up like her."

"Fine." The woman gracefully stood from her lounging spot on the desk. With a snap of her fingers, she disappeared in a cloud of Mist.

Mette rolled her metallic eyes, stalking over to the desk. She perched in her chair behind it, templing her fingers as she waited.

Less than three minutes later, the witch returned in the same fashion that she left, only this time her hand was clasped around the arm of another.

The newcomer was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties. She wore a rumpled pencil skirt and a torn blouse. Her frizzy copper hair was falling out of the bun at the nape of her neck, and her sapphire eyes looked weary behind her crooked glasses. She appeared to be a librarian, which Mette supposed was suitable for the inventress of language and words. The only thing that marred that image was the golden handcuffs around her wrists.

Upon seeing Margaretta, Mnemosyne straightened to her full height—an intimidating five foot two. She glared at the blonde scientist with all her might. "Miss Lavelle, what a surprise. How may I be of service?" She asked sarcastically.

Mette cocked her head, examining the Titaness like one would an insect under a microscope. "Hello, Mnemosyne. I have need of your… talents."

Mnemosyne raised an eyebrow. "I have many talents. One of them is my way with words. I have a plethora to describe how I think of you. Vile, conceited, supercilious, and demented, just to name a few."

Mette balled her fists, trying to control her breathing. "Enough with your silly word games. Do you have the spell ready?"

"Not yet, no. Minds can be very fickle—"

"You are out of time; I need it now." Mette declared.

Mnemosyne shook her head, her azure eyes wide. "I can't do that. If I were to administrate the spell unfinished, his mind could be permanently damaged."

Dr. Lavelle sighed in frustration. "Well, could you do it without the spell?"

The Titaness bit her lip. "In theory, yes. However, you won't have the control over him as you wanted. Also, my power over him would be very unstable. If he were to break out of it by himself, it might possibly also break his mind."

The whitecoat nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand. You will do it then?"

"Do I really have a choice in the matter?"

Mette rolled her eyes at the Titaness before addressing the sorceress. "Unlock her chains and show her to Containment Room 4."

The witch glared but followed the orders nonetheless. The chains disappeared with another snap of her fingers.

Mnemosyne sighed in relief, rubbing her sore wrists. "Now, where did you say the hero was?"

In response, the dark-haired woman touched her shoulder, and they were gone in a blink.

As soon as the two disappeared, Mette allowed herself to lean back in her office chair. She had had to make a quick change of plans, but she was always very adaptable. At least Perseus would finally be taken care of. After Mnemosyne was done with him, he wouldn't even be able to remember his own name. And then, her Mistress's plan could be put into action.

* * *

**A/N: And so the plot thickens. MWAHAHAHAHA!**

**Sorry, but not sorry.**

**So, Mette attempted to trick Percy into thinking that his entire life story had been made up. Sound familiar? It should; the whitecoats tried to do the exact same thing to Max in like the second book. It won't be the only parallel to Max, either, so be warned.**

**Has anyone figured out who the witch is? I think I gave more than enough hints in this one. Also, molü is... well, you can look it up if you want to. ;)**

**Any guesses on how Mette knew about Percy's past? I think there were enough clues for you guys to possibly get it right. **

**Mnemosyne is the Titaness of memory. She's also the inventress of words and language, and the mother of the Muses. **

**One more thing: I'll be at a camp all next week, so I won't be able to update then. Sorry 'bout that. **

**Adios,**

** ~Wrendsor**


	20. B1: Chapter XX

**A/N: Um, don't kill me? Please? I know this update is like a whole week late, but I have a perfectly acceptable excuse. After getting back from camp (which was awesome btw), I started to type out this chapter only to have my laptop crash. Five times. It's still not fixed 'cause, well, that costs money. I finally managed to finish with minimal backtracking after realizing it would be a good idea to hit save after every sentence. Anyway, to make it up to y'all, I added an Annabeth's POV as well as Max's. So, ta-dah! **

**DISCLAIMER: Je ne possède pas Percy Jackson ou Maximum Ride.**

* * *

Maximum

** It had been the longest **two weeks of my life. After fourteen days of sleeping in random State Parks, getting kicked out of said State Parks, dumpster diving for 'decent' sustenance, and Nudge's nonstop questions, I was ready to throttle Jeb the moment I saw him (not that I hadn't wanted to throttle Jeb beforehand, but this made that urge even stronger).

Speaking of the motor-mouthed bird-kid, Queen Talkative herself was rambling on and on about increasingly irrelevant topics. She took 'talking your ear off' to the extreme.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the girl—all her questions kept the long hours of flying from becoming bland. However, after six hours of nothing but the Nudge Channel, even Mother Teresa would start considering homicide.

The rest of the flock was at the end of their lines, too. Gazzy had his hands clamped over his ears, Iggy looked like he was contemplating going for the Duct Tape, and Angel was subtly flying closer and closer to her brother. Even Fang, who had the greatest patience out of our little winged group, had a look of annoyance on his face.

I sighed, trying to ignore the constant buzz of Nudge's voice in my ears and focusing instead on the land below. Mountains and lakes were sprawled out many feet beneath us. The view was enough to take anyone's breath away, but after so long of trying to locate the safe house, I was starting to become irritated by the scenic beauty.

Huffing, I glanced at the crumpled slip of paper in my hand. Jeb's handwriting was scribbled hurriedly across the white sheet in blue pen. The most frustrating thing was the note wasn't even written in English. Instead, there was just a string of numbers. At first, I'd thought it was some kind of joke. Like Jeb was telling me,_ 'you honestly thought I'd make something easy for you, Max? I told you before, this is all a test.' _Figuring I'd have to decode the damn thing, I'd immediately started cursing the old man out in my head until I remembered that there was an eight-year-old that could hear exactly where I thought Jeb could shove it.

It was that very eight-year-old who had suggested that they were coordinates. How she even knew what coordinates were was beyond me, but after spending so long with the creepy angelic mind-reader, I didn't question her. After a quick pit stop to 'borrow' a GPS from a local Wal-Mart, we'd plugged the numbers in and were Utah-bound.

Now, we were circling around our supposed destination, except there was nothing there. The GPS had led us to a secluded part of the Uinta mountain range where civilization was miles away. Fang held the electronic contraption in his hands, glaring at the blinking dot which signified that we'd reached our destination.

Gazzy glanced at the small GPS for a moment before turning his blue eyes to the large mountains. "Are you guys sure the GPS isn't lying or something? Maybe you're reading it upside down? 'Cause I can't see anything."

"I can't see anything either." Iggy piped up.

Ignoring the urge to roll my eyes at both of them, I answered the Gasman. "You can't read a GPS upside down."

"Gazzy is right, maybe the GPS is broken. I don't see a safe house anywhere. But it is amazing here—look at that deer! Or is it called an elk? And the mountains are absolutely gorgeous! I think we should move here; it's much better than Virginia. Wait, it would have to be after we finish school, because I don't want to switch schools again—I'd miss my new friends too much. Maybe we could just get a summer home here? That would be so awesome! Can we, Max?" Nudge said in one breath.

I held my hands up. "Woah, woah, woah, Nudge. Let's tackle one problem at a time, okay? After we find the safe house and get answers from Jeb, then we can talk about what we're gonna do for summer vacation."

Nudge looked like she wanted to continue, but she just sighed and nodded. I gave a breath of relief. _Finally_.

Angel suddenly cocked her head like she heard something. She closed her blue eyes—which were identical to her older brother's—and concentrated. A few seconds later, they opened again. "The safe house is close. I can feel Jeb and Dr. Martinez's energies—or whatever they're called."

"That's great news, Angel." I praised the youngest bird-kid, ruffling her blonde head. She smiled at me. Sometimes her powers came in handy, even if they did freak me out.

The flock and I circled closer to the mountaintops, trying to spot the safe house. Even with our hawk vision, it was hard to do, especially since we didn't know what the safe house even looked like.

Fang was the first to see it. He stopped his forward motion, almost causing me to collide into him. Sadly, I forgot to inform a certain blind bird-kid of my sudden halt. Iggy rammed right into my back, followed closely by Nudge, who had been too busy watching a sleeping owl in a tree. With yelps of surprise, the three of us fell a few yards before we successfully untangled our limbs from each other.

When I returned to Fang's side, Iggy and Nudge close behind, Fang looked like he was struggling not to laugh. The two blond siblings didn't seem to have that problem, however. Angel and Gazzy were clutching their stomachs and giggling so hard tears were streaming down their faces. They finally settled down after a pointed look from yours truly.

"That," the Gasman wiped a tear, "was beautiful."

A scarily accurate elbow to the gut from Iggy was enough to shut Gazzy up.

Fang cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Anyway, I think I found it." He pointed to something in the distance.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to find the safe house. I was about to ask Fang where it was when I finally spotted it.

The safe house was built straight into a small mountain. It was much taller than it was wide, and the exterior was made of gray stone that seamlessly blended into the rock of the mountain. There were only a few windows that I could see, which probably helped it to camouflage better. Without my enhanced raptor vision, my eyes would've just passed over it. I now knew why Jeb wanted this place to be where we were to hide out.

The flock and I reached the safe house quickly after that. Once we got closer, my eyes could make out two small figures standing near the building. It was my parents—wait, sorry, my mom and _Dr. Batchelder_. As soon as our feet touched the dirt, Mom was running toward us.

I barely had enough time to fold my wings against my back before I was engulfed in my mother's arms. I rested my head against her shoulder, being a couple inches taller than her.

"Max! How are you, honey? I see you got here alright. Did you make sure to eat enough—I know how you kids need more calories than most." Mom gushed as she ran her fingers through my helplessly tangled hair. I knew that some people wouldn't like being coddled by their mothers and would tell them to shove off, but growing up as a lab experiment really but things in perspective for me. Mom could coddle me all she wanted; I would choose a loving mother to a whitecoat any day.

"Hey mom. The flock and I are good, just a little tired after the flight."

"I wouldn't mind some cookies, though." Gazzy muttered.

Mom turned her attention to the ten-year-old. His eyes widened before he was suddenly smothered by my mother. No one in the flock was spared as she went from bird-kid to bird-kid giving them all hugs. Their reactions varied: Gazzy was too surprised to do anything; Nudge and Angel hugged her back with equal gusto; Iggy, who towered over her by nearly a foot, awkwardly patted her head; and Fang delicately maneuvered his arms around her torso as if he was scared to break her.

After Dr. Martinez was finished smothering my flock, Jeb butted in. "Hello, Max."

I glared at him. "Cut the pleasantries and talk, Batchelder."

Jeb shuffled on his feet, obviously uncomfortable. The rest of the flock narrowed their eyes at him and puffed out their wings slightly, creating quite an intimidating picture. I was so proud of them.

Dr. B cleared his throat nervously. "Yes, yes. Let's move inside first."

I sighed, relenting. It was probably better to be inside the safe house than standing around outside of it anyway. Jeb led the rest of us into the house. There was an eye scan that he used to open the door, which he informed us would work for all of our eyes as well. Then, he marched us through the tight hallway made of concrete that reminded me of the subway tunnels. I swallowed down the bad feelings that came with that memory, and shoved my claustrophobia to the back of my mind. If the entire house was built like this prison, I wanted out—now.

Seeming to sense my discomfort, my mom squeezed my hand. "Don't worry, the first floor is just the garage and storage area—that's where those doors lead to. The second floor is where the main living space is; the third, fourth, and fifth floors are the sleeping quarters; the sixth and seventh floors are the laboratories; and the eighth floor is the helicopter and airplane hangar. The hangar leads directly to the roof, so you flying folk can use that as an entrance instead." She explained with a grin.

Feeling grateful to have my mom to calm my nerves, I shot her a quick smile.

Eventually, we reached the end of the long hallway, and Jeb corralled us all into an elevator. It was a tight fit for eight people, which didn't help with the flock's and my claustrophobia at all. The annoying peppy music didn't help, either.

Soon (but not soon enough for my taste), the elevator's doors opened with a pleasant ding. The flock and I all but ran out, followed by my mom and a bemused Jeb. I quickly took in our surroundings. The second floor had an open space plan, thank God. The ground was covered in light wooden flooring, instead of the hard concrete of the first floor. The walls were all painted a neutral beige except for the far one which was exposed to the natural rock of the mountain. To my immediate left was a hallway that led to a stairway. In the left corner were two leather couches and a few chairs, which surrounded a glass coffee table and a fireplace built into the stone wall. To my right was a kitchen with stainless steel appliances and mahogany cabinets. There was also a long dining table the same color as the cabinets. Even though there was only a single small window (which was right above the kitchen sink), the space didn't feel cramped at all, probably due to the high ceiling, bright lights, and the minimalistic decor.

The Gasman whistled. "Nice digs, Dr. M." I silently agreed with him. It sure beat the woods that we'd hunker down in.

Mom laughed at the blue-eyed boy, ruffling his hair in a very mom-like gesture. "Thank you, Gazzy, but I didn't build it. This was all the work of one of my associates in the CSM, Dr. Ivana Dragov. She specializes in architecture, and her work is brilliant, as you can see. She designed most of our safe houses, actually."

The eight of us sat at the dining table, with Jeb at the head of the table and me directly across from him. Fang sat at my right side, while Angel was on my left. Dr. Martinez had decided to sit next to Jeb, which angered me slightly. The rational part of my brain concluded that it most likely just so the she could explain things along with Jeb, so I decided to let it slide.

Without waiting for him to begin, I impatiently spoke up. "So, Jeb, spill it. You said you have intel on the School?"

Jeb nodded. "About a year ago, Itex planned to add a new branch onto the School in Death Valley. Back in September, the building was finally completed. The creator, a French man named Adolphe Lavelle, dubbed the new branch the _Technical Institute for Tachytelic Aberrations and Neomorphs_—"

"The what?" Iggy interrupted.

Jeb sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose angrily. Mom answered for him. "What it basically means is 'the scientific institute for evolutionary anomalies and mutations'. It's called TITAN for short."

"Yes, well," Jeb continued, "TITAN was a very secretive project. Not very many people know of its existence. The few that do know of it aren't exactly sure what it is for—even some of the scientists that work there aren't positive as to what TITAN's goal is."

"Do you know the goal of it?" I asked, intrigued. The thought of a new branch of the School made my toes curl.

Jeb's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not completely sure. From what I've gathered, TITAN is a place where they test humans and animals born with a very, very rare mutation in their blood."

"What kind of mutation?" This time it was Fang who interrupted.

Jeb's frown increased. "Again, I'm not sure as to what it is. I have a spy there who is gathering information on TITAN as well as the woman who runs it, Dr. Margaretta Lavelle, who happens to be the creator's daughter, as the creator himself passed shortly after the construction of the building. Sadly, most information there is kept under lock and key. The only person who has access to it is Miss Lavelle herself."

We sat there for a while, absorbing this new information. When I couldn't handle all the questions burning in my mind, I broke the silence. "You said humans."

Jeb raised an eyebrow at me, wordlessly urging me to continue.

"You said that TITAN is a place where they test humans because of a weird mutation in their blood, right?"

"Maximum, I can see where you're going with this, but may I also remind you that I said I wasn't completely sure what it did."

I stood, my chair scraping against the wooden floor. "But it's a possibility, right?"

"…Yes."

"Then we have to!" I shouted. "If there is even a slight chance that there are kids there, then we have to rescue them!"

Jeb looked like he was restraining himself from raising his voice. "Max, are you honestly okay risking your flock getting captured by the School again just because there is a _slight_ _possibility_ that a random stranger is being tested on?"

My fists clenched. Of course Jeb had a valid point; I would do anything to keep my flock out of the whitecoats' evil clutches. The thought of my family being shut into cages again made my stomach churn, but I stood my ground and held my chin up high. "Yes, Jeb. No one deserves to be a lab rat, and I think the flock would agree with me that even the _chance_ of saving someone from that fate is worth it."

Around the table, the members of my flock were all nodding their heads in agreement. Pride filled my gut; maybe I did something right by them. Mom watched me with an approving smile on her face.

Dr. Batchelder let out an exasperated huff of breath. "Maximum, if you go to TITAN guns blazing with no plan, you will be stopped before you can even reach the gates."

I slammed my palms onto the table, causing Iggy to startle. "Then let's _make_ a plan."

Jeb slowly shook his head. "We can't—not without adequate information as to what TITAN actually is. Making a plan now would be useless. We have to wait until the spy contacts me."

"And when will that be?"

"Next week at the earliest."

"That's too long!" I growled out. "By then, the kids could all be dead!"

"I told you before that there might not be children there."

"But there might be! That's reason enough!"

"Calm down, Max." Jeb said, his voice serious. "It would be a suicide mission to go any earlier, and you are worth far too much to make this stupid risk for people who might not even exist. You will wait for my informant to call me, then we will create a plan to ensure you and the flock will make it out unharmed, and then—and only then—will we leave to take down TITAN."

I ground my teeth together. "No, Jeb. You aren't my dad, you can't tell me or the flock what to do."

Jeb looked taken aback for a moment before he schooled his expression again. "We've been over this, Max, I am your—"

"No," I interrupted him. "You may be related to me by blood, but you are _not_ my dad. Dads don't allow their kids to be locked up in a cage for most of their lives, and dads don't let their kids think they're dead for two years for the sake of some stupid _test_. So stop trying to use the dad card on me, 'cause it's not gonna work, capiche?"

Jeb looked burned, and really? It served him right for all he put me through. The rest of the flock looked like they wanted to pat me on the back, though Mom looked a little disgruntled. "Max, honey—"

"No, Mom, don't defend him."

Jeb sighed, looking ten years older. "I know that I have made some questionable decisions when it came to you, but know that it was all for your sake and for the sake of the world."

I snorted. "Great. More of this save-the-world crap."

Batchelder's face went blank. For a moment, I thought his eyes had flashed an ashy gray before returning to their normal blue color. I chalked it up to a trick of the light. When he spoke, his voice was strangely monotonous. "You were born to save the world, Max. It's your fate."

"Yeah, well, screw fate. I will live my own life, thank you very much."

Jeb shook his head as if to clear it. He blinked twice before responding. "You aren't going, and that's final. The roof door is locked in case you try to leave. I'm serious about this, Max. TITAN is dangerous; I think there is a power higher than Itex at work here."

I glared at the man with my full ferocity, resisting the urge to scream at the top of my lungs. Instead, I growled and turned away, marching up the staircase that led to the sleeping quarters. I could feel Jeb's patronizing gaze on me the entire way.

* * *

Annabeth

_**My lungs burned**__ as I sucked in another breath. The air felt like razor blades against my throat, and I wondered idly if breathing was actually speeding up my death instead of holding it off. It wouldn't actually come as a surprise to me. After all, it was the gaseous air of Tartarus; not to mention the river of poison that was rushing toward me. _

_The soupy green liquid rose around me like a tidal wave, threatening to capsize into my body and melt me into a pile of gooey demigod bits. Not the most pleasant death. Akhlys hovered above the wall of poison, glaring into my eyes and filling me with a sense of absolute despair. Misery scowled at me, her features contorting into an even more grotesque visage. Her scraggly hair blew around her shoulders by a nonexistent breeze, and her cracked lip curled up to reveal dirty fangs. _

_Try as I might, I couldn't come up with a plan. The gears in my mind felt broken, creaking to a halt. I couldn't think, couldn't speak, couldn't move. _Wisdom shall fail you_, the voice of my mother echoed in my ears. _Not now_, I thought desperately. _Any time but now_._

_Suddenly, Akhlys's twisted smirk morphed into a look of shock. The ugly goddess gave an inhuman screech that had me clamping my hands over my ears to keep from going deaf. _

_Instead of collapsing onto me, the tide of deathly poison started to swirl in a whirlpool beneath Misery's feet. Akhlys's face expressed pure terror. She wasn't the one doing this, I realized. No, it was…_

_Percy stood on the other side of the goddess. The Death Mist shrouded him, causing him to look like the living dead. His skin hung off his bones like a snake about to shed, and his silky black hair was now reduced to sticks of straw. What caused my breath to catch in my throat, however, were his eyes. They were sunken into his skull and the color of ash. No emotion shone from them, their spark finally extinguished._

_The wraith of my boyfriend raised his hand, and the poison followed. Akhlys gave another ungodly squeal as the frothing liquid got closer and closer to her. Suddenly, Percy clenched his fist. The poison gave a roar as it completely devoured the screaming goddess. After a moment of strangled cat noises, everything became silent, and I knew that Misery was no more._

_I turned back to Percy, tears streaming down my face from the horrific scene. My boyfriend… he had just tortured and killed a goddess—drowned her in her own poison. I took a shaky breath, ignoring the feeling of razor blades scraping against my throat. _

"_Percy?" I whispered, my voice cracking._

_The son of Poseidon turned his gaze toward me. Even after what he had just done, his face was still emotionless. His eyes bored into mine: gray on ash gray. I swallowed the lump in my throat._

_Fear. That's what I felt bubbling in my stomach. Fear of the boy in front of me—the boy I loved so much. What had become of him? What had Tartarus turned him into?_

No_, a small voice in the back of my mind called out. _This isn't Percy. Percy had stopped—he hadn't killed Akhlys. This isn't him!

_But the rational part of my brain took over. I had just seen him do it. And why? Did he do it to save me? Would he really go that far just to save me?_

_His eyes unnerved me; they stared straight into my soul. His face was like a blank slate, so unlike the Percy I knew who I could read better than an open book._

"_Percy, stop." I croaked again. He had yet to let go of the poison; it was still floating in a ball right above our heads._

_Percy cocked his head to the side. The gesture was very robotic. I felt like a bug under a microscope._

"_Annabeth Chase." He muttered. His voice was monotonous, nothing like the avid way Percy usually spoke. I shivered._

_He marched toward me, the floating poison parting to give him a wide berth, almost as if it was scared of him. I stood my ground, refusing to be scared off by my boyfriend—or whoever was possessing him. _

_The son of Poseidon stopped a few inches in front of me, forcing me to look up at him. Slowly, he raised his hand—the same one that killed Misery—and placed it on my cheek. His touch felt foreign and wrong, his hand as cold as ice. He dug his fingernails into my jaw until I felt skin break._

"_You aren't Percy." I growled rebelliously. The hand tightened on my face, drawing blood. I couldn't help but wince. _

"_And why do you think that, daughter of Athena?" The Percy-double asked. His voice remained impassive. _

_I clenched my fists at my sides, wishing that I had my knife again. "Percy would never have killed Akhlys like that. Percy is good."_

_The boy cocked his head again. "Is he?"_

_I was suddenly overwhelmed with images flashing before my eyes. Percy wishing to use Medusa's head on Gabe, Percy announcing that Luke deserved to die after tricking me to take the sky, Percy laughing as he took down an entire monster army during the Titan War, Percy manipulating Bob into believing they were friends, Percy staring down Akhlys as she choked on her own tears…_

_The wraith of my boyfriend watched as I nearly collapsed to my knees. I yanked his hand away from my face, stumbling back. "I know Percy isn't perfect, but he always chooses the right thing in the end." I stated. Thankfully, my voice didn't waver this time._

_The ashy-eyed Percy stared at me. He appeared to be almost like a marionette. His arm dropped to his side as he replied. "Percy is a white light in an ocean of black. How long do you think he'll last before he drowns?"_

_And then, he lifted both his arms up toward me. Like a loyal dog, the ball of poison followed his orders. The last thing I saw were his cloudy eyes before the deathly liquid consumed me._

* * *

**I jackknifed into a sitting position**, clawing at my neck. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I gasped in breaths of salty air. My eyes flitted over my surroundings, trying to recognize where I was. They finally landed on a small blue nightlight on the wall beside me. It served as a focus point as I slowly collected my thoughts.

I was in the Poseidon cabin, woken from another nightmare. But where was Percy? He was usually right next to me, helping me calm down. Then it all came crashing down on me. Percy was gone. Again. My fault. Gods, no. No, no, no. I shoved a fist in my mouth to hold back a sob.

I became increasingly aware of the silence in the cabin. The absence of people was like a physical being, suffocating me. I was alone, and I was dying. Taking a deep breath to try to calm myself only made things worse, as my nose was suddenly filled with his smell. It was the smell of the beach on a warm summer day, with the ocean lapping happily at the sand and a cool breeze drifting from the waves. It was Percy. Everything in this cabin screamed Percy, making his absence so much bigger in my heart.

I had to get out of here—out of this suffocating room that cried for Percy just as loud as I did.

Ignoring the fact that I was only dressed in a pair of old cotton shorts and my boyfriend's high school basketball sweatshirt, I scrambled out of bed and rushed out of cabin three. The door swung shut behind me, effectively shutting out the salty smell. Except, the absence still remained heavy on my heart. Pushing away from the porch, I angrily made my way down the path of cabins. I didn't know where to go, but I knew I had to get away. The loneliness was still suffocating me, drowning me in nothingness. I wiped the tears and snot from my face, allowing the stars to guide me through the dark night.

Suddenly, my feet stopped in front of a cabin. I didn't know why I had stopped at this particular cabin, as I wasn't very close to the kid. Maybe it was because he could understand some of what I was going through? He was present at Percy's kidnapping too, after all.

I raised a tentative hand to knock (what if he was asleep? What if he didn't want to be bothered? What if he shooed me away?), but was interrupted when the obsidian door opened.

Standing there was a droopy eyed Nico di Angelo. His black mop of hair was standing up on one side, and he was dressed in pajamas covered in dancing skeletons (probably a gift from Hazel or Jason). He blinked slowly at me and rubbed an eye, like he thought he was seeing things. "Annabeth?" He asked blearily.

I shifted weight and dropped my arm, regretting my choice to come. Maybe I should've just gone to Mrs. O'Leary; she was sure to need a pick-me-up after the disappearance of her master. The poor hellhound even refused to play _Get the Greek_, her favorite game. "Um, hello."

Nico raised an eyebrow lazily. "What are you doing here at like, three in the morning?"

I bit my lip. There wasn't really any going back now; I had dug my grave, now I had to lay in it. "Couldn't sleep." I mumbled.

Nico's guarded gaze turned sympathetic. "Nightmares?"

I nodded, trying not to look in his eyes. Gods, I felt so pathetic right now. The great Annabeth Chase reduced to crying to a fourteen-year-old after a bad dream. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Nico didn't say anything more, for which I was immensely grateful. Instead, he just opened the door wider and stepped aside. Accepting the unsaid invitation, I crossed over the threshold of the Hades cabin.

Never having been in cabin thirteen before, I took my time to take in the interior. "Nice coffins."

Nico rolled his eyes after shutting the door. "Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. I didn't design the place. Apparently some of your siblings thought children of Hades were vampires."

My lip curled into a small smirk against my will. Oh, this was definitely the work of Alden and Sage; the two brothers had a twisted sense of humor when it came to interior design.

Nico scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "So, uh, did you want to talk about it? Will told me that's supposed to help…"

I crossed my arms over my chest. Why had I gotten myself into this extremely uncomfortable situation? Well, at least the weight of his absence had abated somewhat now that I was in the presence of another human being. I contemplated telling Nico about the nightmare before deciding that I would keep it to myself. I wasn't comfortable sharing what had happened down in Tartarus. The only person who I had talked with about it was Piper, and even she only got the PG rated version of the story.

Then I suddenly remembered that Percy and I weren't the only ones who had fallen into the Pit. I studied the fourteen-year-old as he crossed the room and sat on the edge of his coffin-shaped bed. "How do you do it?"

Nico's forehead wrinkled. "Do what?"

"You went through Tartarus alone. Even when I had Percy with me, we both barely made it out alive. If it weren't for the hospitality you showed Bob, we'd be dead a hundred times over." My pride hated to admit it, but the truth remained.

The son of Hades sighed. "Annabeth, do you really want to get into this right now? You and Percy both saved my life time and time again. I just returned the favor."

I sat on the bed across from Nico. My hands fell onto my lap. "How did you manage to cross the Pit by yourself? Many others would have gone insane."

Nico's eyes grew haunted. I almost regretted asking, but I needed to know. How did he survive on his own? Why hadn't the loneliness devoured him like it was trying to do to me? He was silent for a minute before finally answering. "I think because of my father I was partially protected from the true horror of it. It also helped that I was kidnapped within a few hours of my journey."

After his confession, we both drifted off into silence. He avoided my gaze, looking anywhere but me. When his eyes finally flickered to mine, his were shrouded in guilt. "I never got to apologize, Annabeth."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him.

"It was my fault that Percy got kidnapped. If I had just gotten there a little sooner—" His voice cut off.

"What're you… Oh. _Oh_! No, Nico, it wasn't your fault at all! If anything, it was _my_ fault. I was the one stupid enough to allow us to get trapped in an alley—an alley, for the gods' sake! What was I thinking?"

Nico didn't look convinced. "The alley was a smart idea. Mortals could've gotten endangered if you were out in the open. I saw the two guys taking Percy away. If I had just moved a little faster he'd still be here."

This was going to go back and forth forever. I sighed. "Fine. It's both our faults. Happy?"

"No." Nico whispered. It was then I could see how young he truly was. This kid was supposed to be an eighth grader, and yet he'd been through more things than any middle schooler should ever have to go through. Heck, he even beat Percy's and my record at age fourteen. "But we'll get him back."

In that moment, he reminded me of Percy. They both had that stupidly endearing hope that everything will turn out perfectly. But then I was reminded of the prophesy that Rachel had given a week ago. _The Sea withers away… Six half-bloods fail_… I was being to doubt that we'd ever rescue my boyfriend.

I was about to reply to Nico when my head suddenly cracked open. Okay, not literally cracked open, but that described the pain accurately. It felt like a Giant had taken an ax to my skull. I lost all sense of the outside world, focused solely on the white-hot fire spreading through my head.

After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes, the pain slowly abated. When I became aware of my body again, I found that I was curled into a protective ball. As I carefully unfurled my limbs, I found Nico hovering above me.

"What the Hades was that, Annabeth?"

His voice pounded in my ears, causing me to wince. "I'm not sure."

"Is it a side effect of the Pit?" He asked cautiously.

I shook my head, ignoring the dull throbbing at the base of my skull. "No. The headaches started about a month after Percy's capture."

Nico shuffled through a drawer in his nightstand and came back with a canteen. Taking a swig, I found that it was filled with nectar. The ache in my head was soon replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling. I mumbled a thanks.

"Do you think it has something to do with the reason Percy was taken?" Nico asked after returning the canteen to its original place.

I shrugged. "I don't know, Nico. And I hate not knowing."

Nico sighed and ran a hand through his mop of hair. "Well, I'm guessing it's no use to try and go back to sleep?"

The look I gave him was answer enough.

"Okay, then. I was just about to go spar when you came. I wouldn't mind having company."

I knew enough not to ask him why he'd planned to go sparring at three in the morning. Instead, I silently followed the son of Hades out of his cabin and into the dark of the night.

* * *

**A/N: So, we finally learn some things in this chapter, like the new branch of the school is called TITAN. Clever, am I right? Do you think Max will wait another week to save the kids? If there are any kids even there... And what was the small bit where Jeb started acting weird? And what higher power was he talking about?**

**Also, what about Annabeth's dream? Was it just a simple nightmare, or was it something greater? Did you enjoy the little interaction between Nico and Annabeth? I had that one planned out for a while now. And what's with these headaches Anabeth keeps getting?**

**I'd love to hear all your opinions, predictions, and suggestions. I always think it's awesome to hear feedback. **

**Don't worry guys, it's Percy's chapter next. What could've happened to our favorite son of Poseidon since we last saw him?**

**Until next time,**

**~Wrendsor**


	21. B1: Chapter XXI

**A/N: Today is the last day of my summer vacation. Nooooo! Why must good things always come to an end? Now it is time for another 180 days of torture. Woohoo. To get us through this hard time, I present to you another chapter.**

* * *

Perseus

**Look, I didn't want to be a mutant. **Being a mutant is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. If you're one of the lucky ones who's managed to escape, my advice is: run, and never look back. You're a recombinant lifeform. And once you become one, you can never be normal again. They will chase you, they will hunt you down, and eventually, they will find you. Don't say I didn't warn you.

My name is Percy. Just Percy. A month ago, I woke up in a cage with no memories. I didn't remember anything except for my first name and a blurry image of a gray-eyed girl. I quickly found out that I was in a place called the School, where scientists called whitecoats do illegal experiments on humans. Take me, for instance: I'm two percent avian, which is fancy talk for bird. That means I'm your basic teenage kid, with the exception of two giant black wings attached to my back.

Surprised? Well, I was too when I found out. For some reason, the thought of having wings repulsed me, and the thought of flying… (shiver) no thanks.

There were other recombinant kids at the School, of course, but they never lasted long. First was a little six-year-old girl named Ramana, who managed to look adorable even though she was part bear. She lasted two days before dying. After her was a boy who looked barely over three years. The toddler didn't even last four hours. Finally there was another boy, this one seven-years-old. His name was Rocco, and he was part dolphin. The energetic little bugger never slept a wink. He finally died after five days.

It'd been around two weeks since I last had a prison mate. The silence had gotten so bad that I almost started chatting with the rats that occasionally kept me company. Of course, it wasn't like I was in _complete_ isolation. I had the daily visit to the doctor's office to cheer me up. Being treated like a lab rat really brightened up a guy's day.

Actually, I would have preferred to be treated like the rats here. At least they weren't kept in dog cages and only fed one meal a day (if you could even call it a meal).

Now, it wasn't like I was scared of being alone or anything. In fact, I had a feeling that I had been a loner of sorts in my old life before the whole memory loss thing. However, being locked in a dark cage wasn't really good for the psyche. Being locked in a dark cage _alone_ was even worse.

On the bright side, it gave me amble time to think. But on the down side, it gave me time to think.

Don't get me wrong, thinking is a good thing. (Stay in school, kids—the educational kind, not the scientific torture kind.) However, for me, thinking made me try to remember my past, which always led to a huge migraine. It was almost as if all my memories were locked behind a brick wall. An electric brick wall. One simple touch to my mental barricade and, _bam_, my mind gets zapped by lightning.

So, as I sat slumped in my metal crate, I tried to find something to keep my mind anyway from my imprisoned memories. However, it was hard to find something to do in a five-by-five cage. Eye-Spy wasn't very entertaining to play by myself, and the rats sucked at it. Could rats even see colors? Well, it wasn't like there was much color here anyway. Just gray, gray, and more gray, with the occasional white here and there. I swallowed a small wave of grief; Eye-Spy had been Ramana's favorite pastime.

I quickly shook that thought off. _Nope. Not going there, Percy. No thinking about the past; look forward to the future!_

_Like the future is something to look forward to_, a small voice in my head piped up. _I wonder what it'll be today. Running on a treadmill 'til you faint from exhaustion? Scientists using you as a pincushion? Or how about drowning again after you refuse to fly for the umpteenth time?_

_Shut up_, I snarled at it.

Was it a sign of insanity to have an argument with myself?

A small huff of irritation left my mouth. I was feeling antsier than usual today, which didn't help my current mood. My foot was spastically tapping against the metal floor, the sound echoing in the large room. My wings twitched every once in a while, causing the black feathers to tickle my back. I felt almost as hyper as Rocco was—or well, had been.

_Happy thoughts, Percy, happy thoughts. Puppies, rainbows, blue chocolate chip cookies_—

Wait, what? I tried to remember what I had just thought, but got a hammer to the skull instead. Scowling, I finally shook the thought off.

Wanting to occupy myself with something, I grabbed the Dixie cup from the far corner of my crate. Sadly, I had already gulped down all of its contents a couple hours ago. Glaring at it, I silently willed the cup to fill with water. My throat was as dry as sandpaper, and that one drink hadn't helped. In fact, I couldn't remember a time when my throat wasn't scratchy and my head wasn't woozy from dehydration. That was a little worrying. I supposed the normal human body needed more than just half a cup of water a day.

My stomach growled weakly, whining for some actual food. I glanced toward the far corner of my cage where I had shoved the Styrofoam food tray. On it was the regular School special: brown mush and a piece of moldy bread. My nose wrinkled at the smell wafting up from it. I'd already nibbled around the edible parts of the slice of stale Wonder bread, leaving behind the green bits that would probably not be good for a bird-kid to eat. I hadn't touched the brown mush; I wasn't that desperate yet. Gray chunks were mixed through it, making me wonder if they had finally found a good use for those rats.

My eyes returned to the paper cup in my hand. Honestly, the cup looked more appetizing than that gross sludge.

A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through my brain. I gasped, dropping the Dixie cup and clutching my head. An image of a bushy-haired boy assaulted my vision. He was biting on a soda can and—wait, were those horns sticking out of his hat? As soon as the image came, it was gone—locked back up behind the brick wall. I tried to focus on what the boy's face looked like, sure that it was important, but he slipped through my fingers like water.

I gave a yell of frustration and kicked the paper cup. It soared through the bars of the cage and hit a passing rat. The creature squealed and scurried away.

Before I could throw the food tray as well, the door to the kennel opened. I had to shield my face from the sudden harsh light. When my eyes finally adjusted, the Erasers were already opening my cage. There were four of them, like usual. They were all morphed out, their red eyes glaring at me with hatred, making me wonder what I ever did to them.

Okay, so there was one time when I might've insulted one of their mothers. But hey, they were half dog, so it was a reasonable assumption.

"Oh, hey guys. Long time, no see." I gave them a smirk, trying to calm down my rapidly beating heart. "What've you been up to? Catch any tennis balls lately?"

The four all snarled in unison. Ooh, testy. Perhaps they were a little sensitive about their doggy heritage.

One of them reached out and grabbed my wing. I choked back a yelp as his claws dug into the weak appendage and yanked. Not wanting to risk breaking my wing, I stumbled out of the safety of my crate. A different wolf-man stepped forward this time and slapped some handcuffs on me, tightening them until I winced. Then, I was roughly shoved from behind, nearly causing me to trip over one of the Erasers' foot.

"Move." The one who had grabbed my wing growled.

I obliged, but only after sending him a death glare. He just chuckled, shoving me again harder. I marched faster, mumbling under my breath about how he needed to work on his evil laugh.

The gray tiles were slightly warmer than the cold metal of my cage, which my bare feet were happy about. Walking sent waves of pain through the base of my skull, though. The migraine had yet to let up from when I had that flash of… what had I had a flash of again? My mind blanked on it.

An Eraser suddenly grabbed a hold of my wing, tugging me to a stop. I gasped from the stabbing pain that raced down my shoulder and back. Didn't he freaking realize that wings were not meant to be leashes?

I shot him a withering glare, but he just smirked at me. "We're here, bird-boy."

Another wolf-man opened the steel door, and the Eraser pushed me inside. Lifting my head to view the room, I gulped.

There were a half dozen whitecoats standing around doing sciency things. In the middle of the white room was a metal hospital bed with restraints attached to it. There were two tables connected to the bed, placed to make it look like a cross. A little off to the side was another small table, this one covered in medical devices that made a shiver go down my spine. My eyes widened, and I quickly backpedaled to escape the room. Sadly, the four Erasers had followed me in, so all I succeeded in was running right into their paws.

Two of them grabbed my arms, dragging me to the waiting bed. I struggled against them with all my strength, failing my limbs like a crazy person. My wings shot out, causing a few whitecoats to dive to the floor to avoid being socked by a wild feathered appendage. My triumph didn't last for long; the other two Erasers got a grip on my wings and forcefully folded them back to my sides.

They finally reached the hospital bed, taking off the handcuffs and tossing me on it. The Erasers quickly cuffed my wrists and ankles so I couldn't get out. Then two of the wolf-hybrids yanked my wings from their place safely tucked against my back and strapped them to the two tables connected to the bed. Finally, they shoved my head down and cuffed a metal strip across my forehead, effectively stopping all my movement.

I felt like one of those butterflies on a display. My wings were fully exposed, making me feel vulnerable. As I laid there, I thanked whatever god was up there for the Erasers being part wolf and not part cat.

"You are dismissed." The voice made my teeth clench. I fought the urge to try to lunge at her. The Erasers looked unhappy at their dismissal, obviously disappointed that they wouldn't be able to see me getting dissected. Nonetheless, they stomped out like obedient lapdogs.

The woman then walked into my line of vision. Her face was sharp and pointy, like a weasel's. Her slate gray eyes peered down at me haughtily. "Hello, Subject 17. Wonderful day, isn't it?" Apparently, she was the top whitecoat around here. She was also the one determined to make my life a living hell. It was her who had tried to convince me back when I was a newly amnesiac that I had always lived at the School. I had told her what a bunch of bullcrap that was. Silver eyes and golden hair were all I remembered, but it was enough to make me realize that she was lying. Those beautiful eyes, so terrifying yet full of love, could never belong in a place like this.

Swallowing the childish urge to stick my tongue at her, I muttered. "It was until I saw you."

"Oh, you wound me." She replied, bringing her hand over her heart.

"Boohoo. Why don't you go cry to your daddy?"

That was obviously the wrong thing to say. Her smug expression was immediately wiped from her face. So, the psycho lady who did experiments on children had daddy issues. Who would've guessed?

She turned on her heel and clomped off to the other scientists. I could barely see her white coat from the corner of my eye.

"Change of plans." She said coolly. "We are to test its pain response. See how high its threshold is."

"Dr. Lavelle, but what about—"

She cut the other whitecoat off. "You can move that back to tomorrow."

The whitecoat didn't argue. I felt my breath quicken and bile rise in my throat. Please don't be what I think it's gonna be, I silently pleaded.

Dr. Loco reappeared in my line of sight, along with the other five scientists. One held a clipboard as the others held various metal instruments. One of the whitecoats had a leather strap in her hand, which she tied around my head and gagged me with. Her eyes looked uneasy as she returned to Weasel-Face's side, so I guessed that she was the one who had spoken up earlier.

Seeing the fear in my eyes, a smiled twisted itself on Dr. Loco's face. Someone cut the ragged shirt off of me, but my eyes didn't leave hers. Cold air blew over my bare chest, and I couldn't repress a small shiver. Dr. Lavelle lifted her hand, and the scalpel glinted in the fluorescent light. After a tense moment where all that could be heard were my ragged breaths, the blade descended…

* * *

**I stared at the ceiling tiles**. For once, my hyperactive mind was completely blank. Everything was numb. I felt disconnected with my body.

I could remember everything that had happened. Dr. Lavelle and the other whitecoats had cut into me. They knew exactly where and how to cut to get the greatest response. They had the precision of a doctor, which would make sense given their occupation. I might have passed out once or twice. Toward the end, I was begging them to stop through the thick leather gag. After some time, I'd stopped screaming and begging. I stopped everything. My mind just went empty. That was when Dr. Loco finally called it quits.

It had been a while since the whitecoats had all filed out of the room. How long exactly, I didn't know. Time didn't exist where I was. It was like I was in a different plane of existence altogether, my body floating through an empty abyss.

I was still strapped down to the metal bed, and the gag was still in my mouth. That should've worried me, but it didn't. I couldn't bring myself to care about anything. I was just… empty.

The door opened, but I didn't register it. A short man appeared in my peripheral vision. His face looked horrified before he smoothed it over. Quickly—too quickly for my sluggish mind to follow—he got to work unlatching the cuffs around my wrists and ankles. Then he went to release my wings and forehead before finally removing the gag from my mouth.

After that, he left my eyesight, only to reappear a short while later with an armful of supplies. I stared at his lips as they moved incoherently. Was he trying to talk to me? My ears weren't working.

He set all his supplies down except for a bottle and some cloths. His mouth was still going as he poured the bottled stuff on a rag and moved toward me. When the cloth touched my skin, I felt a sharp sting. I sucked in a short breath, and suddenly I was vacuumed back into my body.

Agony. That was the first thing I felt. Immediately I wished for the numbness to wash over me again, but it only got worse as the man rubbed the soaked rag down one of my arms. I let out a cry of pain, trying to sit up.

The man grabbed my shoulder gently, pushing me back down to the table. "Don't move; I'm cleaning your wounds."

It was the first time I noticed that the man was a whitecoat. If not for the scientist coat he was wearing, I probably would have mistaken him for a toad-hybrid. I obeyed him, letting my head flop back against the cool metal. He continued to clean me up, moving on from my arms and chest to my wings. Occasionally, I hissed in pain, but otherwise stayed silent.

Once he was finished with the antiseptic, the whitecoat grabbed some gauze and began wrapping me up. When he was done, most of my chest and arms were covered so that I looked like a mummy.

"I can't bandage your wings, so you will just have to be careful." He helped me up so that I was sitting. Then, he grabbed a new white tee shirt from his pile of things. The shirt had two long slits down the back of it. Carefully, he maneuvered both of my wings through the slits before pulling the shirt over my head. I slipped my arms through the arm holes.

I didn't know what to think, to be honest. Here was a whitecoat, showing me kindness. That went completely against whitecoats' nature. For a second, I braced myself for the universe to explode, but nothing happened. Instead, I settled for muttering a thanks. My voice cracked, still sore from the screaming.

He nodded in reply, gathering up his things. I tried to ignore all the blood.

The man then turned to leave. As his hand rested on the door handle, his head turned back to me, his watery blue eyes boring into mine. "Everything is a test, child. Remember that." And then, he was gone, leaving me at the mercy of four Erasers.

* * *

**A/N: Aaaand, done. How'd you like it? The very first paragraph of this chapter I had planned out since the beginning. It parallels the first page of The Lightning Thief. **

**So, can Percy's situation get any worse? Now we find out what Mnemosyne did to him: she took his memory! All he remembers is a certain gray-eyed girl (wonder who that could be). Will he ever get his memories back, or will he be cursed to be an amnesiac forever?**

**And man, Percy. You just _had_ to get on Mette's nerves. Pain Response... one word: ouch. Especially when it's six qualified doctors performing it on you.**

**Anyway, Percy mentions three mutants that all died. In case you were wondering, I'll give you their parentage.**

**Ramana: six-year-old daughter of Venus. Part bear. In mythology, Aphrodite cursed a woman to have children by a bear. Now one of her kids is (or was) part bear. **

**Felix: three-year-old son of Fortuna. Part mole. Tyche/Fortuna is often called the 'blind mistress', due to the nature of luck, so her kid is now actually blind.**

**Rocco: seven-year-old son of Hypnos. Part dolphin. The god of sleep is known for, well, sleep. Newborn dolphins don't sleep for an entire month, and even as they get older they rarely sleep. So now, the kid of the sleep god can't sleep.**

**Also, this chapter takes place at the same time as the previous one. So, as of right now, Percy, Annabeth, and Max are all caught up to each other.**

**Lastly, I just wanted to point out that this story is going to be separated into three parts, and there is only one or two more chapters until the end of part one. That means this fanfic is roughly one-third of the way completed.**

**Au revoir,**

**~Wrendsor**


	22. B1: Chapter XXII

**A/N: 'Ello, everyone. I have survived my first week of school, so no need to worry. Hopefully all of you other school-goers are still thriving as well. Anyway, this chapter is _reallyyyy_ long. Like, nearly 8,000 words long, so I hope you enjoy that. Also, this chapter is intense, especially the second part of it. So, you have been warned.**

**Last thing: this chapter is dedicated to **NinjaFang1331 **for being the 200th reviewer. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I really appreciate every single one of them.**

* * *

Annabeth

** In retrospect**, I should've known better than to kick a statue. But in my defense, the statue really did deserve it. I had had to crawl through the catacombs of Rome with a broken ankle, had gone against the mother of my mortal enemies, and had fallen into Tartarus all to rescue the stupid thing. I'll admit, at one point I had dreamed of finding the Athena Parthenos, but after everything I went through to get it, I now had a love-hate relationship with the golden effigy of my mom.

I clutched my now throbbing foot, muttering expletives that would have Chiron giving me dishwashing duty for the next month. Of course, I just _had_ to use my right foot to vent my anger out on the metal statue. Pins and needles crawled up my leg, spreading out from my ankle. It was the same ankle that I had broken less than a year ago, and even with the aid of ambrosia, it hadn't been healed correctly. I guess trudging through the Eternal Pit of Damnation hadn't done it any favors. Now I was stuck with a permanent limp. Usually it wasn't that visible except to the keen eye, but when I was stressed it became more prominent. Needless to say, I limped like a crippled old man these past months.

Scowling, I glared at the forty-foot-tall golden-robed Athena. The statue seemed to stare back at me, a passive expression on its face, as if it was bored.

"Come on, mother, answer me! Why have the gods locked the camps down? Why isn't anyone trying to find Percy?" I yelled at the Athena Parthenos.

It didn't reply. Nike, standing on the Wisdom Goddess's palm, glinted in the light of the setting sun. My anger rose.

"You owe me! I found your long lost statue even after you disowned me! I at least deserve some answers!"

Silence. I felt ready to explode. Why wasn't anyone giving me some gods-damn answers?! Chiron refused to tell me anything, Grover's empathy link was still on the fritz, and the gods all turned deaf to my pleas. I had half a mind to just say '_screw it_' and march up to Mount Olympus myself to demand a quest to rescue Percy.

_Wisdom shall fail you_, the echo of my mother's Roman persona rang in my head.

I growled up at the Athena Parthenos, my fists clenching at my sides. _You're right_, I retorted back at it. _She already did._

The statue seemed to leer down at me, its face disapproving. A calming aura suddenly radiated from the idol, filling my stomach with warmth.

My mind cleared as the realization dawned on me. All of the pieces of the puzzle clicked. Percy's kidnapping, the gods locking down both camps, Hazel and Frank's confrontation with the so-called 'Immortal Sorcerous', the ancient location spell not working… My stormy eyes widened. "There's something coming, isn't there? Something big."

The aura around the statue pulsed once in reply. The Goddess of Victory was grinning in my mother's hand.

"There's going to be another war." I whispered breathlessly. My hands started to shake, and my legs felt like they would buckle at any moment.

The world fell onto my shoulders again, forcing me to my knees. Sweat beaded on my forehead, trickling down my face. My toes started to tingle. _Oh no_, I thought desperately. _Not now_!

"Hey, Annabeth, are you okay?" A muffled voice sounded from above me. I recognized it from somewhere. Katie. It was Katie Gardner.

"Piper. Get Piper." I forced through numb lips. Already black dots threatened to consume my vision.

The girl ran off, screaming a name. Then she was gone. Gone—just like Percy. Just like Luke, and Dad, and Thalia, and Mom, and everyone else who's ever left. I was suddenly being pulled under the Cocytus River. The water choked me—made it impossible to breathe. Wails surrounded me, the dead souls screeching in my ears.

In the back of my mind, I barely registered the feeling of hands on my shoulders, or Piper's soothing voice in my ears. The cries drowned her out. Drowned. I was suffocating—no air.

Phobos was hugging me, encompassing me in his unforgiving arms. His twin brother, Deimos, plunged his hand straight though my chest. He grabbed my heart and squeezed it, shattering it completely.

There couldn't be another war. And yet, there was. Rachel had already prophesized it. But, another war? I'd already fought two of them. The last one had broken me. I had been bent until my snapping point. My mind was nothing more than a puzzle with missing pieces—some forgotten on the battle field, and others lost in the depths of hell. I couldn't get them back. Unlike puzzles, you couldn't just buy another mind.

And Percy. What had happened to him? It was like the gods had abandoned him—abandoned me. Both of the previous wars I'd had him by my side. Against Kronos and against Gaea, and even against Tartarus himself, he'd been right there beside me. He'd been the only constant in my life—a constant in a world full of variables. But now my anchor was gone. He was gone. How could I ever win a war without Seaweed Brain at my side? Why would I ever want to? Without him, my life would be incomplete—_I_ would be incomplete. I wouldn't want to live in a world without Percy Jackson.

"Annabeth. C'mon, Annabeth, I need you to count with me."

My thoughts collapsed like a sandcastle under a tidal wave as the voice penetrated my head. The voice—Piper's voice—was impossible to ignore. It was thick and rich and compelling. I felt myself take a short intake of breath.

"That's it." Piper soothed. "Copy my breaths, okay?"

I nodded. I felt like a bobble head, still slightly disconnected from my body.

"One." She took a deep breath in and out. My lungs expanded and contracted on demand, but my throat was still clenched tight.

"Two." Again, my chest inflated along with hers.

"Three—you're doing great. Four… Five… Six…"

After each breath, my mind settled ever so slightly. Brothers Terror and Fear fled, and the River of Lamentation dried up.

My eyes blinked open, only to find a pair of kaleidoscope ones staring back at me. Piper was leaning her forehead against mine, mimicking what she had done back in Sparta when we had gone against Mimas. I felt clammy and hot at the same time. My entire body was shivering.

Seeing me alert, Piper leaned back on her heels. Her colorful orbs shone with barely concealed worry. Her lips turned up in a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." I muttered shakily, rubbing my sweaty palms against my jeans. I took in a ragged breath, glancing around. No one else was in sight. That was good. I didn't need a crowd of people seeing me like this. Katie was probably warning everyone off; she could be scary when she wanted to be. "How long was I out this time?"

"Only about ten minutes." The daughter of Aphrodite fiddled with the feather braided through her hair. "Have you taken your medicine lately?"

I shook my head, grabbing fistfuls of grass. "No. We left them at Sally's. I hadn't had a bad one in a while, so I didn't think I needed them at the time."

It frustrated me to admit that. I was supposed to be the greatest child of Athena—the one person who had defeated Athena's enemy and saved the Athena Parthenos. I wasn't supposed to have PTSD or Panic Disorder. I wasn't supposed to be broken.

And yet, I was. I was a broken child soldier. I needed pills to keep me from jumping at the slightest sound, from shaking when I was alone, from waking up in the middle of the night screaming. My mind used to be my greatest gift; now, it was my greatest curse.

Sensing my frustration, Piper placed her hand over mine. My fist unclenched, releasing the poor grass from my death-grip. "Annabeth, you do realize that taking medicine doesn't make you weak, right?"

I scoffed—a harsh, loud sound compared to Piper's velvety voice. "Yes. It's what the pills cover up that makes me weak."

The daughter of Aphrodite looked scandalized. "You're the strongest person I know." After receiving a dubious look from me, she continued. "I'm serious. You've been through a lot—you and Percy. If it had been me or anyone else in your shoes, we would've gone insane a long time ago."

I rolled my eyes. "Who says I haven't?"

"Weren't you the one who told me that ninety percent of psychotics think they're perfectly sane?" She countered.

"Ninety-four. Your point is?"

"Well, if you think that you're crazy, and an actual crazy person thinks that they're fine, then you _must_ be sane. I mean, unless you're in that six percent…"

"Piper, sometimes I question _your_ sanity."

"Whatever." The brunette snorted, slugging me on the arm.

We lapsed into silence. After a while, Piper spoke up again, her voice firm. "But seriously, Annabeth. This isn't healthy. And with Percy g—away, I think you're getting worse. I can feel your emotions, and it isn't good to bottle them up like that."

I glared at the rip in my jeans, pulling at the frays. Of course, Piper was right. After reading countless books over my disorders, I knew that the last thing I should do was shove all my emotions aside like they didn't exist. But, that reaction came _naturally_ to me. Being a daughter of Athena, I grew up putting logic and reason above all else. However, PTSD and Panic disorder defied all reason. Such as how logic told me that I was out of the Pit and safe now, yet my mind was still consumed with irrational fear.

"Percy wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."

I paused, my breath hitching in my throat. Gods, how could I be so selfish? Here I was, wallowing in self-pity while my boyfriend was somewhere not even the gods knew of. Unlike myself, who was safe at Camp Half-Blood, Percy was most likely in a terrible place having unknown horrors done to him. On top of that, I wasn't the only one who had come out of both wars scarred. Percy also had his own issues. Though he didn't have PD like I did, he did have PTSD along with the addition of depression. So, where I had panic attacks, he had flashbacks, and those could get messy sometimes.

We had been doing better, though. After the others had realized that Percy and I weren't exactly… stable, per say, they had sent us straight to Mr. D. Dionysus was the god of insanity, so thus could cure insanity as well. He did it for Chris Rodriguez, Clarisse's boyfriend, a few years back. Except, when he had tried to heal us, nothing had changed. The Wine God's only explanation was that since our affliction came from Tartarus, he didn't have the power to cure it. Apparently, even though we had left Tartarus, Tartarus had never left us.

It was Jason who had suggested him. The son of Jupiter remembered the man from his time at Camp Jupiter. His name was Dr. Lysander Saiko, and he was a second generation legacy of Bacchus. He had inherited his grandfather's power to cure mental illnesses and worked as New Rome's resident psychiatrist. With a lot of reluctance, mostly on Percy's part (_but his name is Dr. Psycho, Jason! I don't care if it's spelled differently!_), we finally agreed to meet with him.

Since then, we had been having weekly sessions with the doctor via IM. Or well, until a little less than two months ago, that is. Since Percy's capture, I hadn't talked to the man. Maybe it was a bad idea to go that long without a therapy session, but at the moment, I was too guilt-ridden to have one. After all, my boyfriend was suffering somewhere, and it was partially my fault. It wouldn't be right for me to heal while Percy slowly worsened.

"Annabeth."

I sighed. "I understand."

"Good." She patted me on the shoulder. "Now, there's half an hour until dinner starts. Do you want to go with me to the volleyball courts? Mitchell and Lacy wanted me to play on their team, but we could always use another player."

Shaking my head, I replied. "No, but thank you."

"You're going to the lake, aren't you?"

When I didn't respond, she took it as a yes. Piper let out a breath of air before slipping on a friendly smile. "Well, if you change your mind, feel free to join us. I know how awesome you are at setting the ball."

The half-blood stood, brushing a few stray blades of grass off of her jean shorts. When she was a couple steps away, she turned back to face me. "You know, Annabeth… I trust your judgement. I'd follow you anywhere, for whatever reason, no matter what anyone else says." She winked. "Just thought you should know that."

I stared at her retreating form, my mind slowly analyzing her words. Had she been hinting at something? Surely she wouldn't have said that otherwise. I exhaled. My brain was still too scattered to do much proficient thinking. Besides, my detour to the Athena Parthenos had disrupted my schedule, so now I was late for my appointment at the dock.

* * *

_**Black, black, black**__. Black was all I could see. It encompassed me. It bore down on me ruthlessly, filling my eyes, ears, mouth, nose—anywhere where it could get in. I struggled to breathe. Why couldn't I breathe? It felt like I was being squeezed in Tyson's hug. Noises echoed in my head, like static on a television. Screeching, crying, wailing. Nails pounded into my eardrums, making me wish to go deaf._

_Where was I? I twisted my body around, trying—desperately trying—to find a source of light. A respite from this never-ending darkness. Hot, acrid air blew across my face. Claws tugged at my shirt. I reached for my sword, my knife, anything, but my fingers scrambled over an empty sheath. My breathing picked up, yet the sound was lost to my ears—lost to the growling voices all around me. My chest heaved, attempting to fill my lungs with oxygen and failing._

"_Percy!" The word ripped itself from my throat, only to get lost in the void. Percy. Where was he? He had just been at my side, leading me through Tartarus after I had received the curse of Polyphemus. No, that wasn't right. We weren't in the Pit anymore. But why was I blind? What about the screams of the Arai? _

_Suddenly, the overwhelming blackness dispersed, as if it was a frightened cat. Gray shrouded my vision, fog coalescing in thick coils around my legs. Immediately, I reached for my belt, only to remember that nothing was there. My breath caught in my throat. Vulnerable. I couldn't be vulnerable again; I always had to be prepared. Swallowing down my initial panic, I spread my feet into a defensive stance._

_Unlike the movies in which the foolish damsel always yells something cliché like 'who's there', I stayed silent, just as the many years of training had taught me. Before I could observe more of my surroundings, a pillar of mist appeared five feet from my face. I took a steady step back, tensing my muscles in preparation. _

_When the smoke cleared, my fists clenched in surprise. A woman stood before me, clothed in an obsidian Greek chiton. Her dark hair was braided with purple gems and golden thread. Two emerald orbs glared at me through hooded eyes. "Annabeth Chase."_

_I glared right back at her, gritting my teeth. "Circe."_

"_Such a pleasure to see you again, dear. It's a true pity that you didn't take me up on that sorceress job I offered you. Maybe then you would know how to put a stop to these terrible nightmares you've been having." She clucked her tongue._

_I growled. "What are you doing here, witch?"_

"_Not much for chit-chat, are you? Very well, then. I came here to answer your request. Didn't you want to know where Percy Jackson is?"_

"_What've you done to him?" I reached for my drakon-bone sword, but it was still missing in this dream-scape._

"_Me? I haven't laid a single finger on that creature. And why would I? He's the reason my resort was put out of business. Now, my Mistress, on the other hand… Oh, she has some fun plans in store for that son of Poseidon." She laughed._

_Questions swirled around my head. Obviously, Circe had been the 'Immortal Sorceress' that Frank and Hazel met. But, who was her Mistress? Was it the 'Vanquished Mother' that had been mentioned in the prophesy? However, all these thoughts were secondary to my boyfriend's whereabouts._

"_Where is he?" I repeated._

_Circe smirked, her eyes glinting as if she knew something I didn't. "Just remember, darling: you asked for it." And then she snapped her fingers, and my vision was engulfed in smoke._

_When the mist cleared, I was standing in the corner of a completely white room. The entire place was fuzzy, the room blurring in certain spots. _

"_Sorry about the bad connection, but I spent _ages_ putting up all those wards." The witch was suddenly right next to me, her flowing gown brushing up against my leg. I whipped my head around to face her. My eyes were level with her chin, so I had to look slightly upward, much to my dismay. Nonetheless, I glared daggers at her. "You said that you would show me Percy. I don't see him anywhere."_

_She pointed to the center of the room. "Look again."_

_Where I had originally assumed the room was empty, a lone metal table in the shape of a cross was planted right in the middle of it. Five or six adults buzzed around it, their figures dragging behind them like a comet's tail._

_I held my breath, anxiety pouring into my veins. Not of my own accord, my legs started to walk closer. I was a marionette, and I supposed Circe was the puppet-master. When I finally reached the 't' shaped examination table, my feet came to an abrupt halt. Looking down at the metal bed, I couldn't hold back my gasp._

_Percy was lying on top of it, his body strapped down with steel cuffs. It was the first time I had seen my boyfriend in over a month, and one glimpse of him was enough to take my breath away. A trembling hand came up to cover my mouth. _

_He had lost a lot of weight, more so than he ever did during our two weeks in the Pit. His jaw line was sharp, the baby fat completely wasted away, and his cheeks were hollow. His gorgeous green eyes were dull and sunken in from malnourishment, and his silky black hair was reduced to a shaggy, coarse mess. As my eyes trailed from his face to the rest of his body, I noticed that the rest of him was just as emaciated. The muscles that he had received after years of hard training were diminished greatly. The white shirt and gray pants that he was wearing hung off his frame. The shirt itself was ragged, with random tears in it and dark gray spots that looked suspiciously like burn marks. A large, black blanket was spread out under his back, but for what purpose I had no clue. _

_I swallowed back the bile in my throat, clearing my head. Yes, my boyfriend was in terrible condition right now, but at least he was still _alive_. Also, the fact that he wasn't strung up in a dark cave somewhere being tortured by monsters was a definite plus._

_Suddenly, a woman appeared on the other side of Percy. She was donned in a white coat that doctors usually wore. Her pale, straight hair was pulled into a tight bun. She had a pinched nose, thin lips, and highly arched eyebrows. Her cat-like eyes were a shade lighter than charcoal and were staring at the son of Poseidon with cool superbity. _

_When she spoke, her words were fuzzy, like a radio going out of tune. The glitch only lasted a few seconds before I could understand what she was saying. _

"—_wonderful day, isn't it?"_

_Fire burned in Percy's eyes. He hated the up-tight woman, I could tell. "It was until I saw you." He muttered, rather childishly. I rolled my eyes, but inwardly I smiled. That answer was just so _Percy_ that hope stirred in my gut. He could still be saved; he hadn't changed._

"_Oh, you wound me." The blonde woman replied, bringing a hand over her heart. _

"_Boohoo. Why don't you go cry to your daddy?" Immediately, her metallic eyes flashed, and her face became hard. I felt the urge to slap my boyfriend in the back of the head. _Seaweed Brain_, my mind growled. _

_The woman stomped off to the other white-coated people, but my gaze never left Percy, who was glaring at the ceiling now. I only heard snit-bits of the others' conversation, as the dream kept glitching. _

"_Change of plans. We are… its pain… See how… is."_

"_Dr. Lavelle, but what…"_

"…_move that back to tomorrow."_

_Percy face suddenly paled and his breath quickened. I figured that whatever the people had said, it wasn't good._

_The cold-eyed woman returned to Percy's side, followed by five others dressed similarly to her. A middle-aged Asian woman with a bob leaned over him, tying a leather strap around his mouth. Then a freckled man with a pair of scissors in his hands started to cut down the middle of the demigod's shirt. My breathing was as ragged as Percy's was. A swell of nausea washed over me as I took in the sight of his bare torso._

_Now, I have seen my boyfriend's chest many times, due to the fact that one of his favorite activities was swimming. I practically had all his scars memorized and knew the story of each one. Which was why I was horrified to find unfamiliar ones dotted across his skin. Anger filled me upon noticing them. In the back of my mind, I had known that these people were hurting Percy in some way, but to see the evidence of it before my eyes… Well, let's just say that that vile woman would be better off with the Furies than with me. _

_After the rage settled, confusion took its place. Now that I was staring intently at Percy's torso, I noticed something… off about it. Spanning from his sixth to his tenth rib on either side—where a person's diaphragm was—was a strip of muscle. It almost looked as if he had mini pectoralis muscles under his original ones, though you could only see them when you squinted. Maybe it was just because of the bad connection on the dream? Yeah, that would explain it…_

_Dr. Lavelle lifted her arm, bringing me out of my rampant thoughts. Something in her hand glinted under the fluorescent lighting. I almost chalked it up as another glitch before realizing that it was a medical scalpel. I snarled, lunging to tackle the woman, only to pass right through her. She lowered the knife. _

No_, I thought desperately._

_The blade pierced the tan skin right below Percy's breastbone, digging in with surgical efficiency. The son of Poseidon clenched his jaw, but refused to make any sound. My fists tightened at my sides. In my mind, I imagined myself strangling the sadistic doctor. _

_She had a cruel smile on her face. A mad gleam shone in her eyes as she slowly twisted the scalpel deeper. Percy's breaths become even more labored. I wanted to run to him—to hold him in my arms and tell him that I was coming for him—but my feet remained cemented in their spot. I couldn't even find the strength to turn my head away._

_A small frown replaced the smirk on Dr. Lavelle's face. Displeased with my boyfriend's reaction, she removed her weapon from his chest cavity. I tried to ignore the sanguine liquid dripping from it as she trailed it teasingly up to his jugular. The boy glared at her, daring her to continue. I resisted the urge to yell at him; he wouldn't hear me anyway._

_She plunged the blade into the soft spot right under his collarbone. He had to bite his lip to keep from crying out. Tears welled up in my eyes. Here was my boyfriend getting tortured right in front of me, and I couldn't do a damn thing. Despair weighed down on my shoulders. _

_The doctor gritted her teeth together. This wasn't going like she had hoped. Obviously, she had expected more of a reaction from Percy. A small sense of pride filled me. He wouldn't be beaten that easily. _

_That victory didn't last long, however. Cut, after cut, after cut. Occasionally, Dr. Lavelle would ask one of the other doctors to do something for her, but the majority of the torture was all her. Tears were now freely falling down my cheeks, and my knees felt like they would buckle at any moment. The only sound Percy would make was a sharp intake of breath once in a while. _

_Then Dr. Lavelle, her eyebrows furrowed in agitation, dragged the knife down his left hip bone and to the waistband of his pants. I winced, hearing metal grate against ivory. Percy elicited a short cry of pain, trying to wiggle out from the restraints. From the look in the woman's eyes, you would've thought she won the jackpot. And I guess, from her perspective, she just had. _

_Hearing my boyfriend cry out like that, images of the last war surfaced. Percy vaporizing the Arai; blood dripping down Percy's nose and coating the earth; Percy covered in boils and slowly dying from the poisonous air of Tartarus; fighting back to back with Percy on Half-Blood hill, along with the united forces of the Greeks and Romans, as an army of monsters descended upon us. I hated to see Percy in pain. After everything that had happened, it took a lot to hurt him enough for him to make any sound of discomfort. However, these scientists knew what they were doing. They had medical training; they knew exactly where to slice to get the most pain response. As strong and stubborn as Percy was, even he was no match for them. _

_Dr. Lavelle didn't stop there. She continued cutting into my boyfriend with the fervor of a mad scientist. His chest was bathed in crimson, and his arms were not spared. She even stabbed the dark blanket underneath Percy's back, and for whatever reason, that seemed to pain him as well._

_The son of Poseidon was openly screaming now—something Dr. Lavelle seemed to take great pleasure in. I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like vomiting, the bile burning in the back of my throat. My arms shook from clenching my fists so tight, blood dripping down my palms from my fingernails breaking the skin. _

"_Percy, no." I whispered. He hadn't heard me, of course._

_A laugh sounded from behind me. My neck prickled from the person's close presence, but my eyes remained trained on my boyfriend against my will. _

"_Stop." I growled, echoing Percy. Wincing, I tried to clamp my hands around my ears, but I was paralyzed. _

_Rage suddenly washed over me. How dare someone do this to Percy?! How dare they make me watch?! I will slaughter that crazy bitch for hurting Percy, and then I will do the same to Circe!_

"_Stop! Just stop!" I yelled. The spell over me lifted, and my legs collapsed under me. I quickly shot back to my feet, ignoring the quiver in my knees, and launched myself at the sorceress standing behind me. _

_I didn't make it that far, however. One wave of her hand and I was frozen again. The dark-haired witch cocked an eyebrow at me, angering me further. _

_I strained against my invisible bonds like a rapid animal. "I will end you, Circe! You're going to wish that you stayed on that island of yours. You are going to regret the day you ever crossed Annabeth Chase."_

_She had the audacity to laugh. "Ha! You, girl? You are nothing but a little sidekick. Without Percy Jackson at your side, you are nothing. If you had become my apprentice during our last encounter, you could have been made into the second greatest sorceress, only lesser than myself."_

_Drawing on my inner Thalia, I spat at her face. "I will rescue my boyfriend. And then after that, I'll come for you."_

_Circe pulled a handkerchief out of thin air, patting it on her face. Her emerald eyes glared at me, glowing with pure magic. "Don't keep me waiting, then." She said. _

_With a snap of her fingers, the blackness was back again, and this time, I lost myself in it._

* * *

**My eyes snapped open**. A frightened face stared back at me. The dying flames cast a shadow over half his face, causing his freckles to stand out against his pale skin. He was chewing worriedly on his fingernails, seeing as there were no tin cans around.

"Annabeth?" Grover asked uncertainly. His brown eyes were wide, reminding me of a doe.

My eyebrows creased in confusion. "What?"

"You were having a nightmare, I think. I woke you up." The satyr pulled on the collar of his shirt. "Anyway, it's passed eleven. If we're out for any longer, the harpies might eat us." He looked around, as if he expected a bird-woman to descend upon us any minute.

The flames of the bonfire flickered to a deep purple, in tune with Grover's emotions. I frowned, remembering the bonfire from a couple hours ago. It had been very somber, which had become the norm this past month and a half. Rarely did the flames ever reach above waist height, and the fire's color never varied from black, navy, forest green, or violet. After all the campers returned to their camps, I stayed behind, sitting on a log and absently kicking pebbles. Grover had chosen to stay as well, though he sat on the other side of the fire pit. He awkwardly fiddled with his pipes, avoiding my gaze. I must have fallen asleep while looking into the depressing flames.

Suddenly, it felt like I had been plowed down by Mrs. O'Leary. My nightmare came back to me, the images burning in my eyes. I shot to my feet.

Grover stumbled back, surprised by my sudden movement. "Annabeth? What is it? Is there something wrong?"

I stared at him, terror shining through my eyes. "I saw Percy."

"You—you what?" He bleated.

"In my dream. I saw him."

Grover's face looked nervous. His hands twitched to his pipe. "Oh."

My gray orbs narrowed on him. I knew the satyr enough to know when he was holding back. "You knew, didn't you? That he was being tortured?"

Grover winced at the word 'torture'. He shuffled on his goat hooves. "I didn't—I mean, I couldn't…" He stammered. When I intensified my glare, he gulped. "The empathy link is still blocked, mostly. I just get flashes sometimes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, um… Like I said, I only get flashes—nothing substantial. Sometimes it's just feelings, other times it's pictures. I still don't know where he is, or even who's doing it to him." The more words spilled from his mouth, the more frantic he became. "Somehow they figured out how to shut off his powers. They tried to drown him, Annabeth—_drown him_! You know that's one of his biggest fears! Or maybe you didn't; I only found out because of the time—well, never mind. Anyway, I didn't tell you because it wouldn't've done you any good! We don't know where he is, and the gods have forbidden us from looking. My best friend is being t-tortured and I can't go help him!" By this point, Grover was nearly in hysterics. His pupils were thin, horizontal stripes, much like a goat's.

It dawned on me that I wasn't the only one who cared about Percy. Grover was also his best friend and had known him even longer than I had. Plus, this was only the first time I was having a nightmare about my boyfriend; gods knew how long Grover had been having them. I gathered up all my emotions and shoved them in a box, then locked it and threw away the key. My shoulders squared, and I slipped on my leader mask. I'd been playing the angsty, defeated teenager for too long; now it was time to be the hero who everyone looked up to.

I placed a hand on Grover's shoulder, calming him down. When his breathing was back to normal, my arm dropped back to my side. My chin held high, I spoke. "I have waited around for eight weeks for the gods to find Percy, but they haven't. I'm not going to sit on my _podex_ any longer. I'm going to find my boyfriend, and not even the gods will stop me."

Grover's eyebrows disappeared into his bushy hair before a grin spread across his face. "Nice to have you back, Annabeth." After a second, his smile faltered. "But, wait! The gods—they wouldn't have locked the camp up for nothing, right? So there's probably something bad out there!"

The thought having already passed my mind previously, I answered calmly. "If it means getting Percy back, I don't care if I have to search all of Tartarus."

At the sound of the Pit's name, the Lord of the Wild gulped. His gaze flickered to the ground as if expecting it to swallow him up, before returning to me. His eyes were pleading. "I already have one of my friends captured. I don't want another."

My shoulders slumped at hearing this, but only slightly. I held my ground. "I'm going to give Rachel a visit. Are you coming or not?"

The satyr looked like he might start hyperventilating again, but instead he just sighed, defeated. "Of course I'm coming."

Nodding courtly, I spun around and headed for the Oracle's cave. With my hurried pace and Grover practically running behind me, we reached our destination in no time. A purple curtain embroidered with snakes hung down from the cave entrance, serving as the door. Luckily for us, we didn't have to bother with trying to wake the Oracle up; she was already wide awake.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare was sitting on a large rock, her legs crossed at the ankles. Her wild, fiery hair was all over the place. Instead of her normal painted-stained jeans, she was wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants along with an oversized 'Save the Trees' tee-shirt she'd gotten at an environmentalist rally (Juniper has the matching one). She was chewing her lip, staring worriedly off into the distance.

Hearing our approach, the redhead turned to us. "Finally! I was starting to think you guys weren't gonna make it."

"Weren't gonna make it?" Grover repeated confusedly.

"Oh, just a feeling I had." She waved a hand.

"So you know why we are here, then?" I raised an eyebrow.

Rachel bobbed her head once. "You want to defy the gods to go search for Percy."

"Correct. Now will you help me do it?"

The girl snorted. "Yeah, Beth, of course I'll help. Percy's my friend too, you know."

My stormy orbs narrowed at her, but she just shook it off. "I know, I know—no nicknames for Annabeth, save for the one exception."

I crossed my arms. Grover looked back and forth between us, taking a step closer to Rachel.

The red-head ignored my intense glaring and goat-boy's skittishness. She clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Okay, ready. Ask away!"

I took a deep breath. "Oh, Oracle of Delphi, tell me how to find Percy Jackson."

Rachel's eyes shone a vibrant green as smoke of the same color snaked around her. Her mouth opened, and the raspy voice of the Oracle reached my ears.

_Four half-bloods shall go to the land without rain_

_To save the Twice-Savior from everlasting pain_

_They must travel by the Path of the Sun_

_Or else be lead astray by the Deceitful One_

_The four shall be met with War and Death_

'_Fore the child of the eldest gods takes their last breath_

_But daughter of Wisdom, beware the Sea_

_For where there is two, there must also be three_

The smoke suddenly receded. Rachel's eyes rolled up, and Grover barely caught her before she could smash her head on the rocks. The girl was only out for a few seconds. By the time the Lord of the Wild set her back on the rock she had originally been sitting on, she was already stirring.

"Ugh, I always get the worst Oracle hangovers." Rachel groaned, bringing a hand up to rub her temples. "Anyway, what did I say?"

I repeated the prophesy verbatim. Once I was done, Rachel was nodding. "Well, death and war—sounds like a prophesy alright." She tried for humor but fell short. Grover was too busy panicking to laugh.

"This sounds bad. Meeting war and death? No thanks. And it says that one of the children of the Big Three is going to die."

"Prophesies always have double meanings, Grover." The red-head tried to appease him. "What do you think, Annabeth?"

My eyebrows creased and I chewed my lip. "The Twice-Savior is obviously Percy. He was in both of the Great Prophesies and saved Olympus both times. I am most likely the daughter of Wisdom mentioned, and there are three others who must go with me. The child of the eldest gods could be referring to any of the five—or six, if you include Tyson."

They both nodded. Rachel then stood, wiping her hands on her flannel pants. I noticed that they were shaking slightly. Perhaps it was a side-effect from being possessed from the Oracle, but I doubted it.

"Which three half-bloods are you going to take?" asked Rachel.

I frowned, thinking. Then, the corner of my mouth curled up. "Well, we _are_ looking for a lost hero."

* * *

**In my rush**, it took me exactly eight minutes and forty-three seconds to get back to cabin three, throw some supplies in a backpack, and make my way over to Zeus's cabin. I now stood on the doorstep, pounding my fist against the ornate door.

After my tenth knock, my temper began to rise. Jason wasn't a heavy sleeper—the opposite, really. With his time at the Roman camp, he had been trained to be on the alert at a moment's notice, which was why it was ridiculous that he hadn't opened the door yet. As I was started to consider just barging in and hoping that I wouldn't get zapped by lightning, I heard something.

"Um, Annabeth? What are you doing here?" Jason's voice came from somewhere above my head. I quickly looked up, spotting his blond head peering down from the rooftop, his glasses dangling from his nose. The son of Jupiter wasn't alone up there. Right beside him was his choppy-haired girlfriend.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you two doing up there?"

A blush crept across his face. "Hey, I asked you first."

"Fine. Just come down here. I was going to get Piper away, so it saves time."

The demigod nodded, grabbing Piper and floating them both carefully to the ground. They landed a few feet from me.

"Okay, what did you want, Annabeth?" asked Piper. She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her braid behind her ear.

I stared at the daughter of Aphrodite, analyzing her. "You said you would follow me anywhere. Did you really mean it?"

"One hundred percent." She replied without hesitation. A twinkle formed in her eyes.

"What about you, Jason?" I turned to the boy.

"I—uh, what? Of course I would! But why—"

"Good. Back your bags. We're going on a quest."

Piper's face broke out into a smile, but Jason still looked confused. "The gods haven't issued any quests."

I sighed impatiently. "I just got back from Rachel's; she gave me a quest."

"A quest for…?"

"What else? To rescue Percy, of course."

The mention of his best bud made Jason's expression turn from confusion to astonishment to elation. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"We need one more person. Where's Leo?"

The blond's eyebrows furrowed. "He might be at the bunker. Sometimes he crashes there when he's working on a project."

"Okay. I'll grab Leo, and you go pack your bags. Meet me at the stables; Grover's already getting the Pegasi set."

And then, I was off to grab a son of Hephaestus.

* * *

**"What are we doing here, again?** It's passed midnight, and I need my beauty sleep." Leo whined, stifling a yawn.

"Didn't Annabeth tell you?" Jason questioned. A purple backpack was slung over his shoulder, and his glasses were slightly askew.

"I did, but the little imp was still half-asleep." I muttered, stomping into the stables. The others followed suit.

"Hey!" said imp protested. "The politically correct term is elf."

Piper rolled her eyes, fixing her boyfriend's glasses. "It sounded about right to me."

Leo pouted. "Looks like I'm not the only one who needs some beauty sleep."

The daughter of Aphrodite attempted to lunge at the fire-user, but Jason intercepted her. "How about we all cool down, huh? Leo, where's your bag?"

"I've got all I need right in here." The Latino patted his magic tool belt fondly.

Piper raised an eyebrow. "You can conjure up clean underwear from that thing?"

"No, why?"

The couple both wrinkled their noses in unison.

Thankfully, we had reached Grover before the conversation could go any further. The satyr had already saddled two Pegasi and was working on the third.

"Hey." He greeted us. "These guys are going to be your rides. This one," he pointed to the tan one, "is Porkpie. This one," he pointed to a dappled mare, "is Karma. And this one," he patted the cream one he had just finished saddling, "is Bronte."

Piper watched the Pegasi with fascination. The children of Aphrodite were always good equestrians, and she was no different. "Who gets which Pegasus?" she asked.

"You can have Karma—she prefers to only have girls ride her. That leaves Jason with Bronte, and Leo with Porkpie."

"All right!" Leo exclaimed, dashing up to the tan winged horse. "Who's the man—er, horse?" The Pegasus snorted.

Jason and Piper approached their steeds in a more calm fashion. I raised my eyebrow at Grover, posing a silent question.

"Oh, yeah, almost forgot! You get to ride Blackjack. He said that if you are going to rescue his boss, then he's in."

The Pegasus in question trotted forward, his ebony coat clashing against the light colors of all the other winged horses. A saddle was already strapped to his back. This surprised me at first, since Blackjack hadn't let anyone ride him since the son of Poseidon had been taken, but then again, he was probably wanting his friend back as much as we were. I gave the Pegasus a short smile, rubbing his velvety nose.

"So, Annabeth," Piper started after strapping her bag to her mare. "Did Rachel give you a prophesy when you visited?"

I nodded in affirmation before reciting the prophesy. The three demigods had varying degrees of worry on their face, Piper most of all. I guessed that it had something to do with her boyfriend being a child of the elder gods.

Leo just sighed exasperatedly. "Seriously, another prophesy with the 'last breath' thing? The Oracle needs to be more original."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, there aren't very many words that rhyme with 'death'."

That got him to shut up.

"Okay, now that that's cleared up, let's head out." I said, swinging my leg over Blackjack's back. The others climbed onto their Pegasi as well, some less graceful than others. I was about to spur Blackjack when Leo suddenly threw his hands up in a time-out sign.

"Wait! I forgot to tell Calypso. She'll kill me if I—"

"No time." I replied impatiently.

"I'll tell her." Grover butted in. "Now go. The harpies will be here soon."

"Ugh, fine. But if she kills me, you'll have to bring me back again."

Not even waiting for Leo to finish his sentence, my heels dug into Blackjack's sides, and the black Pegasus took off. As we rose higher into the night sky, my mind flashed back to the dream I had. Circe, the scientists, Percy screaming… My fists tightened on the reins.

_Don't worry, Seaweed Brain. I'm coming._

* * *

**A/N: Did you guys enjoy the chapter? Pretty light-hearted throughout the first half, aye? Okay, that's a total lie, but whatever. **

**Just to recap the chapter: Annabeth had a panic attack, which I hope I handled correctly. And I went into more detail about what transpired before this story, specifically how Percy and Annabeth coped after the war. Then, as per many of your requests, Annabeth finally had a dream about Percy. The scene should be familiar, as it was in the last chapter; this one is just more... graphic. Congrats, though, for everyone who guessed that the witch was Circe! You all get blue cookies. Also, how did you like the other prophesy? It was a spur of the moment thing - for whatever reason, I was feeling poetic that day. I'm proud of it though. Any predictions on what it means? And BAMF Annabeth is back. Yay! She's been understandably angsty for the majority of this fic, so I'm glad she's back to her badass self. Lastly, the demigods are finally going to rescue Percy! Will they succeed in their quest?**

**Only one more chapter until the end of the first part. Who's excited?**

**Later, **

**~Wrendsor**


	23. B1: Chapter XXIII

**A/N: Sorry for the late update; school is killer. I'll try to update as quickly as possible, but bare in mind that it might take two-ish weeks sometimes. **

**I wrote this all on my phone, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Anyway, here's the new chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Maximum

**It was no secret that I**, Maximum Ride, hated being told what to do - especially when it was Jeb telling me what to do. It wasn't even because of some stupid teenage rebellion, but more along the lines that since he had betrayed my trust I now made it my mission to do the exact opposite of whatever crap came out of that lying mouth.

I mean, did he seriously expect for one second that I would stay in my bedroom like a good little girl while kids' lives were possibly on the line? If so, he had another thing coming.

I waited until half past midnight to make my move. Silently, I cracked open my bedroom door, peering out into the hallway. When I had stomped away from our little family meeting a couple of hours ago, I had strategically chosen the bedroom on the fifth floor that was closest to the staircase. It made my plan a lot less complicated.

After a second of glancing down the empty hallway, I quickly slunk out of the room and shut the door behind me as quietly as possible. A backpack was slung across my shoulders, filled with some basic survival supplies: protein bars, water bottles, a match box, a pocket knife, and an extra pair of clothes.

In only three large steps, I was at the stairwell door. My hand paused as it brushed the handle. What about the flock? They would want to come with me. If it meant taking down the School, they wouldn't miss it for the world. The only problem with that was that they _were_ my world. I hated to say it - or think it, whatever - but Jeb was right. I couldn't sacrifice my family. I couldn't let the whitecoat's get their hands on them again.

Which was why I had to do this alone. You know, fly solo and all that.

Wow, that was a terrible pun. Forget I said that.

The stairwell door opened with a loud creak, leaving me cringing. When no one suddenly popped out into the hallway, I let out a breath of relief. Making sure that the door closed _quietly_ behind me (luckily, it didn't squeak this time), I bounded up the stairs three at a time.

Sixth floor... seventh floor... ah, there it was! I came up to the door marked with a large number eight. I wiped my sweaty hands on my windbreaker before gripping the handle. The nerves were starting to get to me. What if Jeb had posted guards in the hangar to keep me in here? What if Jeb was right and there were no kids at the School, and I overreacted for nothing? I shook my fears off. No way was I turning back now.

This time, the door didn't make a sound as it swung open. A spacious cement room greeted me, longer than it was wide. At the moment, it was void of any aircraft. Only a couple of yards away was a door built into the cement. A blinking light that read 'rooftop exit' hung above it. That was my ticket out of here. The only problem was the six figures surrounding it.

"Looks like someone finally decided to show up." Iggy muttered. The boy was sitting against the hard wall, his lanky legs spread out in front of him. He had probably heard my entrance with his super-hearing.

At his voice, the rest all turned their heads to where I was standing in the doorway trying not to show my surprise. My hands clutched the straps of my bag.

"Oh, hey Max." Angel said casually. "We were just wondering when you'd get here."

"Uh huh. We've been sitting here for _ages_! I think my butt fell asleep an hour ago." Gazzy interjected.

"We've only been waiting for half an hour, Gaz." Fang rolled his eyes. The blond shrugged, fidgeting in his spot beside Iggy.

I narrowed my eyes at them. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We could ask you the same question," replied the blind bird-kid.

I huffed. Instead of answering, I marched over to the group of mutants. "Didn't you hear Jeb? He doesn't want us to go."

Nudge crossed her arms. "Since when do we listen to Jeb? He hasn't been the most trustworthy guy on the planet. Plus, he still wears that white coat of his, and I'm not a big fan of lab coats. And don't even get me started on his _loafers - _total fashion no-no. Of _course_ we wouldn't follow his orders."

"But Batchelder was right on this one. It's too dangerous."

Fang scoffed. "And what were you planning on doing? Going out for a midnight stroll?"

My fists tightened. "Maybe. Maybe not."

As Fang's dark eyes glared at me, I silently chided myself. _Nice answer, genius. Now you sound like a hypocrite _and_ a twelve-year-old!_

Before Fang could make a retort, Angel butted in. "We want to help the kids too, Max."

"Yeah," her older brother added, "we can't leave all the saving to you."

I refused to budge. "Nope. You guys could get taken by the School again. It would be easier to sneak in by myself."

"But Maaaax." The Gasman pouted. His baby blue eyes widened pleadingly. Angel mimicked his puppy-dog eyes. Nudge cranked her doe eyes up too, and suddenly my walls began crumbling.

Finally, I sighed in defeat. "Fine. Whatever."

Iggy let out a loud whoop that echoed through the hangar. He and Gazzy shared a high five.

I faced the sixth person in the little gang-up-on-Max group. "Do you wanna go fly off to save some imaginary kids, too?"

My mom shook her head at me, an amused smile on her face. "No, Max, of course not."

"Then why are you here? I thought you agreed with Jeb?"

Mom sighed. "I do agree with him that it's dangerous to go rushing into a place that we know next to nothing about. However, I also know you, Max, and I know that you would want to rescue those children."

"Wait, so there _are_ kids there? Like, for sure?"

"Well," she worried her lip, "I can't say for certain, but I'm pretty positive. The School has always experimented on children, so why stop now?"

I nodded, my resolve to save the kids from that prison strengthening. "That still doesn't explain why you're here, though."

"Have you forgotten? Jeb locked all the exits to keep you from escaping."

"Oh. Right." My hopes plummeted. This place had tight security. I knew that it would take several hours for Iggy to pick one of the locks or for Nudge to hack her way into the system.

"But luckily for you," Mom continued, "I know all the passcodes."

I shot her a grin that she readily returned. Then, Dr. Martinez typed a complicated twenty-figure password into the electronic lock on the door to the rooftop. The light flashed green as the door popped open.

The flock quickly dashed through the doorway and up the staircase, eager to get out in the open air. I hung back a little, stepping closer to my mother who was holding open the door.

"Thank you." I said genuinely.

"No need to thank me, honey. What are you doing for those children is amazing, and I'm so proud of you." She gave me a one-armed hug. "Just make sure you get back quickly. All of you."

"Will do." I nodded at her, swallowing the lump in my throat. Have I ever mentioned how much I loved my mom? Because I do. She's awesome.

Before this became even more emotional than it already was, I hurried up the cement stairs. My flock was waiting for me on the roof, their wings already out and ready to fly. I looked at them with approval.

"C'mon guys, let's go kick some whitecoat butt." And with that, I stretched out my wings and leaped off the building.

* * *

**"Are we there yet**?"

"No, Gazzy."

"... What about now?"

"Nope."

"... Now are we?"

"For the hundredth time - _no_!"

I was contemplating whether to take out the knife in my pack and stab myself in the ears or not. At least then I wouldn't have to listen Gazzy's constant whining.

The ten-year-old opened his mouth again. Before he could get a word out, I snapped. "If you ask that question one more time, I swear to God-"

"You shouldn't swear, Max. Swearing is bad." Angel's sweet voice interrupted me.

I resisted the urge to scream. Beside me, Fang coughed to disguise his laugh. We had been flying now for over six hours, with two bathroom breaks in between. Since we had left a little before one in the morning, the sun was just above the horizon. Below us stretched Death Valley, as red and barren as I remembered. If my memory served to be correct, then we'd reach the School any moment.

I had been bracing myself to face the School for the entire flight. Being back here always served to dredge up memories that were best left locked in a dusty corner of my mind. The cramped cages, the harsh scientists, the dreaded tests... I shuddered.

Fang looked at me in concern, raising an eyebrow. He was flying to my right, a couple inches above me. My shoulders shrugged in reply. He knew exactly what was going on in my head; the same was probably happening to him, and all the others. That thought caused a wave of guilt to swell over me. This was my fault for allowing them come. I shouldn't have let them follow me. Now they had to face the people who hurt them so many times before.

_Stop being a Mother Hen_, I reprimanded myself. _They are just as capable as you are. They wanna get those kids out of there as much as you do. You can't protect them from everything._

_**You're right, Max: you can't protect them from everything**._

_No one asked _you_, Voice! _I lashed out at my mental intruder.

_**And no one asked you to save these children**_, replied the Voice.

_Oh, so _now_ you get some sass. Am I rubbing off on you?_

_**I am merely using your own flawed logic against you**. _

_Whatever. _Could a person mentally roll their eyes? Because I just did.

**_Just bare in mind what I told you, Maximum. Saving these children was your choice_**.

_Yeah, I know, and it's the right one! _

**_Don't be so quick to decide; you cannot test the waters of this one. This is your point of no return. After this, you cannot go back and undo what you have done. It will result in a massive domino effect_**.

My jaw clenched. _You keep telling me that I'm going to save the world. Well, this is me, saving the world, one kid at a time_.

**_Perhaps I underestimated you_**. The Voice's tone, which was usually monotone, held a faint note of bemusement. It paused for several seconds. **_Very well. Don't say I didn't warn you_**.

The pressure in my mind suddenly withdrew. After my little chat with the Voice, I was left scowling. My scowl deepened when I spotted the white block among all the red. Hundreds of feet below me was the building that I had spent the first ten years of my life in. Seeing it raised my temper even more than the Voice had.

"Land ho!" The Gasman shouted.

Several sighs were heard all around, my own included.

"That's not the building we're looking for, Gazzers." I informed him.

"What? But isn't that the School?"

A gust of wind blew a lock of hair into my mouth. I spit it out before explaining. "When Jeb was talking to us, he said that the new branch - I think it was called TITAN - was built separately from the main building."

The blond bird-kid groaned. "More flying?"

Fang raised an eyebrow. "You're tired of flying?"

"No, I just..."

"It's boring." Iggy elaborated. "Six hours of nothing but flapping our wings? We're ready for some action."

Nudge pointed to something off in the distance. "Well, I don't think we'll have to look very far."

About a mile or two away from the School, another building rose up from the red dirt of the dessert. From my high vantage point, it looked like a toy dollhouse, but I could tell that up close it would be a different case. The building itself was made out of the same white material as the original School. It was shaped like a 'U' with a line through it, or a weird looking 'M'. The middle line was a few stories taller than the rest of it. Around the plot of land was a fifteen-foot barbed-wire fence, but that wouldn't be a problem for six kids with wings. What _would_ be a problem were the multiple Erasers guarding the place.

"It looks like a monster with long arms." Angel murmured. I could barely hear her over the wind.

"Or a person shouting 'GOAAAAL!'" Gazzy countered.

"Or maybe a dog with really floppy ears." Nudge added.

"Or a black abyss." Said Iggy.

"Everything is a black abyss to you, Ig." The Gasman rolled his eyes.

An apple went airborne and smacked the ten-year-old in the face. Gazzy yelped, rubbing his nose with one hand while reaching for his own stash of edible projectiles in his backpack.

"No wasting the food supplies, Iggy." I said. He grumbled. "But nice bull's eye."

"Hey!" Gazzy protested.

"Okay, everyone!" I ignored him. "You guys wanted action? Well, you're gonna get it."

We were hovering over right over the TITAN building. The clouds provided enough cover to block us from any Erasers that might look up.

"Our goal is to take down TITAN and rescue the kids, but I don't want any of us getting captured. If things start to get hairy, then I want you to get the heck outa Dodge. Got it?"

There were several yep's, sure's, and an aye aye captain (you can guess who said that one).

I clapped my hands together. "Alrighty then, team. Now for the master plan."

Ten minutes later, we were all slipping through the third story window that Iggy had picked. As my feet landed on the hard tile, the last one to enter, I took quick stock of the room. It looked like one of the whitecoats' offices. There was a desk pushed against the left wall, and various scientific equipment was littered around haphazardly. I had to step over an ancient-looking microscope.

A loud crash that sounded like gun shots made me jump. I whipped my head to the right, spotting a sheepish Iggy standing over a shattered glass dish. Sensing everyone's eyes on him, he shrugged apologetically.

Fearing that someone would come running, I hurriedly whispered. "You guys all remember the plan, right?" Nods. "Good. Make sure to keep Angel updated, 'kay?" And with that, we all carefully snuck out of the small office in pairs and headed in different directions.

Our plan was simple. Gazzy and Iggy were setting up bombs around the building and basically causing as much mayhem as possible before they got out. Nudge and Fang were in charge of finding the Control Center, Fang because of his stealth skills and Nudge because of her excellent hacking tricks. That left Angel and I to look for the trapped kids. Not that I was complaining. It meant that I got to keep a closer eye on my baby girl. Plus, with Angel's mind mojo, she could find the kids easier than anyone else.

I was just about to turn the corner with Angel right beside me when her hand shot out and grabbed my arm. "Whitecoats, I think. Three of them coming this way."

I nodded and cocked back my arm, but the eight-year-old just touched my elbow again. "Wait. I got this."

Reluctantly, I let my arm drop back to my side. Not a second later, three whitecoats wheeled around the corner. There was a woman with skin darker than Nudge's, a man with a nose bigger than a hawk's, and another man with bright red hair. They froze as they spotted us.

"Hi!" Angel smiled at the group of scientists. The men scrambled back, and the woman opened her mouth to scream. Angel shook her head and brought a finger to her lips, shushing them. The whitecoats immediately quieted, their eyes clouding over.

"That's better." The blonde girl said breezily. "Now, can you help me and Max, please? We're lost."

The scientists stared into her blue, blue eyes. Slowly, each one nodded.

"Perfect! We are looking for the kids. Do you know where they are?"

They looked hesitant to reply. The redhead scratched the back of his neck in confusion.

"We'd be really grateful." If Angel's eyes grew any bigger, they'd overtake her entire face.

The woman and the redhead still looked like they were resisting her charms, but Hawk Nose pointed to a door in the hallway he'd just come from. "First floor. Left wing."

"Thanks!" Angel exclaimed before hurrying to the door he'd pointed out with me trailing behind. She heaved the heavy wooden door open, revealing the stairwell. Before she stepped inside, she turned back to the dazed whitecoats. "Oh, and count to ten thousand before you sound the alarm."

Once we were pounding down the steps, I praised the younger girl. "Nice job."

Angel smiled sweetly at me in thanks. "They'll probably only last until a hundred before they snap out of it."

I shrugged. "That's more than enough time."

"I don't think I'll be able to do it again, though. Controlling minds is harder than reading them, especially with more than one."

"That's fine. I've been itching to punch something anyway."

Angel's eyes suddenly became unfocused. She paused on her step, her hand hovering over the handrail. "Nudge just hacked into the system. She turned off the alarms."

In response to Angel's statement, a huge explosion went off. The tiles shook under our feet as we tried to steady ourselves. Our eyes locked. That was Gazzy and Iggy's cue for us. "We need to hurry; they can't hold off the Erasers for long."

Angel nodded. I shouldered open the door to the ground floor. We stumbled out of the stairwell, glancing in both directions.

"He said the left wing..." The blonde trailed off.

"So, left?"

She nodded, and I lead the way. Right as we entered the left corridor, we ran into two fully-morphed Erasers. Wasting no time, I brought my leg up to kick one in the sternum. He slammed into the wall, hitting his head against the white plaster before collapsing to the ground. I spun around quickly, my eyes zeroing in on my next target. The Eraser had lunged for Angel, but she side-stepped just in time, flattening herself against the wall. While he was off-balance, I brought my fists together and down on the back of his neck. The wolf-hybrid was instantly knocked-out.

Angel was breathing hard, but she was mostly unharmed. She took a deep breath before pushing herself off the wall. "I don't like their new eyes."

The Erasers' new eye color. Red. The color of violence and chaos and blood. "Me neither."

The eight-year-old tucked a stray blonde curl behind her ear that had fallen out of her twin pigtails. Her blue eyes trailed down the hallway. "We better hurry. Gazzy and Iggy are running out of bombs."

On cue, another explosion rattled the building. It sounded further away than the last, which was good. I nodded, marching passed the fallen bodies of the half-wolves. "Yeah. C'mon Ange, we still have an entire wing to search."

Angel fell into step with me, her small legs keeping pace with my larger stride. She slipped her hand into mine, and I squeezed it.

We passed several doors, but Angel shook her head at every one, signaling that there was no sign of life from inside. A few had windows that allowed us to peer into. These were mainly plain white rooms, though some had bolted beds inside. I shuddered every time I saw one.

The hallway twisted like a maze. Sometimes it would diverge into two paths, and then we would go with whichever one Angel said 'felt right'. We encountered a few more Erasers and a handful of whitecoats, but I quickly took each one out of commission. It left me with bloody knuckles and a very sore jaw, but luckily nothing too serious.

After another tense minute passed, Angel suddenly stumbled. My hand reflexively caught her. "Angel, what-"

"It's Ig and Gaz. They're out of explosives and the Erasers are gaining the upper hand."

"What are they waiting for, then? Tell them to get out!"

"They can't. Gaz said there aren't any exits close by."

"Get Fang and Nudge to help!" I struggled to keep the panic out of my voice. Angel didn't need panic right now.

The bird-kid shook her head, her eyes watering. "They ran into some trouble, too."

I felt like tearing my hair out. This wasn't going as planned. Angel and I still needed to find the kids, but our family needed help too.

I was about to call a retreat when footsteps sounded in my eardrums. Quickly, I thrust Angel behind my back, squaring up to the approaching figure. His lab coat billowed out behind him from his hurried pace, exposing his pudgy midriff. Beads of sweat dripped down his balding, gray-haired head. His watery blue eyes were widened in urgency.

My eyes narrowed at him dangerously. My stance read 'Mama Bear Mode' to the max. The whitecoat most likely noticed, because his pace slowed. He was taking in large gulps of air like he had just run a marathon. Before I could open my mouth, he motioned me over. My glare intensified.

He huffed - which sounded more like a wheeze from all his panting-before closing the last few yards between us. "Quickly, Maximum, we don't have time for lolly-gagging."

"Who are you?" I demanded, reaching for the collar of his shirt.

"He's the spy, Max!" Angel sputtered out. The old man nodded furiously. From this close, his face resembled a frog's. Even his eyes were bulged out, though that was probably just from the fear of me choking him.

I let go of the whitecoat. He stumbled back, smoothing down his shirt. "Dr. Batchelder had told me that you weren't coming for another week."

I growled. "Well, there was a change of plans."

The spy bobbed his head, accepting the information. "Yes, yes, okay. But Dr. Lavelle will come down on us any moment." The name caused a bell to ring in my head. Lavelle - that was the woman who ran this place.

He fumbled for something in the inner pocket of his lab coat before tossing it to me. I caught the object on instinct, my fingers curling around it. It was a key ring with seven keys attached to it. "You'll need that. Turn right at the next turn and then keep going straight. You'll find him there."

"Find who?"

"The boy. There's only one left." He said hurriedly. "Now, go! I'll buy you some time."

I was still staring at the old guy as he hastily retreated. Angel tugged on my hand, snapping me back to attention. Together, we took a right, then ran for a long stretch. Finally, we came to a large steel door. I slid the bolt over and heaved the thick door open. The thing weighed a ton.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I felt my breath catch in my throat. Rows of empty dog crates appeared before us. Memories pulsed behind my eyes, but I rubbed them away. We had a mission to accomplish.

Angel's hand clutched the hem of my shirt. "I-I don't feel anyone in here."

I frowned as I looked into the dark room. Above us, a naked light bulb flickered twice. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, but I also know that the spy wasn't lying." Her eyebrows drew together in confusion.

I tapped my free hand against my jeans, trying to ignore the thick mildew smell. We didn't really have any time to lose, but... "How about we check? Just to be sure."

The blonde nodded in agreement. Our feet padded down the middle pathway, echoing in the large room. I forced myself to look into the animal cages, searching for any signs of life. The closest I got was a fat rat that was nibbling on a chunk of moldy bread.

Right when I was starting to lose hope, Angel froze, her eyes widening. "Max..." She breathed.

I followed her line of sight, my heart coming to a stop. Slouched in one of the larger cages was a teenage boy. Adrenaline flowed back into my body as I rushed forward, Angel right behind me. My hands grabbed the lead bars of the cage before I dropped to my knees.

The boy looked around sixteen or seventeen. He was thin - emaciated, even. Tangled black hair drooped over his eyes, and his lips were chapped and nearly blue. The rest of his body was a mess. Gauze covered both arms, but it was dirty and stained crimson. His shirt was also covered in blood, and his gray pants were in tatters. There was a bronze band around his neck like a dog collar. My knuckles whitened as my grip tightened on the metal bars.

Wait. Angel had said that she hadn't felt any life forms in here. Did that mean... Was he...? The boy took a shuddering breath and relief swept over me. Okay, so he was still alive. That was good. That was awesome. Now we just had to get the kid out of there before he actually _did_ die.

Angel sucked in a breath. "Wings, Max. He has _wings_."

That's when I saw the dark appendages sticking out from his back. The feathers were clumped in places with dried blood. I gulped. This was bad. Bad, bad, bad. Numbly, my fingers searched for the key ring that I had discarded by my side. Picking the first key I came across, I tried to stick it in the cage's lock before moving on to the next. On the fifth attempt, the key finally slid in. I twisted it, and the lock popped open. The bird-kid didn't stir as my hand reached out to touch his wrapped arm.

"Can you help me get him out, Ange?"

With her help, we managed to maneuver him out, though the wings made it difficult. I slung one of his arms over my neck, and Angel did the same on his other side. It was awkward because of our different heights, but we made it work. Most of the guy's weight was on me, though I was okay with that. It wasn't like the kid was heavy - the opposite, really. He was just skin and hollow bones. I probably weighed more than him at this point, even though he had a good few inches on me.

Angel and I staggered out of the room full of cages. The boy's long wings dragged on the floor, and his head was slumped against my shoulder. His raven hair tickled my chin. We traced our steps back through the confusing maze of hallways.

When we finally got out of the left wing, sweat was dripping down Angel's face. I wrapped an arm around the guy's waist and tossed Angel the keys. "I got him now. Which way is out?"

The younger girl looked gratefully at me, slipping out from under his arm. "The windows on this level are barred, so we have to leave through the front door."

"Great." I groaned. "Where's the rest of the flock?"

"Iggy and Gazzy managed to get out about a minute ago. Nudge and Fang are on the second floor. Most of the Erasers are in the right wing, where Ig and Gaz were."

"Okay, can you lead Nudge and Fang here?"

Angel nodded, closing her eyes. After a moment, I was greeted by two baby blues. "They'll be here soon."

In less than a minute, Nudge and Fang barreled through the stairwell door. Seeing the boy I was holding up, Nudge gasped. Fang did a better job at hiding his emotions.

"Are there any others?" He asked. I shook my head, and he nodded grimly.

Fang went to take Angel's place supporting the boy with me. Angel's little fist tightened around the keys. Her face was pale. "We need to get out of here. Now."

Nudge led the way through the lab equipment, pushing a few of the larger obstacles aside for Fang and me. Warm, sticky liquid dripped down my back. I didn't think it was sweat.

"Max, they're coming." Angel urged.

I gritted my teeth, readjusting the kid's arm over my shoulders. Fang and I put on another burst of speed, going as fast as we could with an unconscious body draped between us. Shouts echoed from somewhere behind us.

"C'mon, c'mon." I muttered to myself, not daring to glance back. If my heart thumped any harder, it would rip right out of my chest. The front entrance was only fifty feet away. Thirty feet. Fifteen...

"Too late." The aloof voice caused us to stumble to a stop. I whipped around to face the person, briefly forgetting about the kid I was holding up. The full weight of him crashed onto Fang, but I managed to steady us before we all tumbled to the ground.

The voice belonged to a woman in her early twenties. Her platinum hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and she wore a gray pantsuit beneath the white lab coat. Her metallic eyes were trained on the five of us, smirking when they landed on the unnamed bird-kid. Six Erasers flanked the woman, their teeth bared.

However, my eyes weren't on the guards dogs, or even the whitecoat. They were on the things in the woman's hands. In one, she clutched the neck of Dr. Toad, a large lump on his temple. In the other, she gripped a shiny pistol. The gun was pointed at the spy's head.

I gulped, making sure that Angel and Nudge were firmly behind me. I wracked my brain for a plan of action, or something to stall the whitecoat. "So, uh, you must be Dr. Lavelle."

"Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Maximum. I've heard so much about you." She remarked.

"All good things, I hope."

"You'd be surprised."

My fingers twitched as I held unto the kid's waist. They were already coated with blood. This was really bad. If we didn't get back to Utah fast, he wouldn't last very long.

_Angel_, I mentally called to the blonde, _at my signal, I need you to see if any of those keys opens the front door_.

_Okay_, Angel thought back. _Just be careful_.

How to get the gun away from the crazy lady... My mind was drawing a blank. Even if I rushed her, she'd pull the trigger before I got within ten feet of her. There was also the problem of me carrying an unconscious teenager. "This is usually when the villain dramatically reveals their evil plans in a long-winded monologue."

Dr. Lavelle shrugged. "I've never been one for tradition." And then, her finger twitched.

"_No_!" The yell was echoed by Angel, Nudge, and myself. Nudge reached out her hand and tugged, the pistol spiraling into her palm in slow motion. But it was too late.

_Too late_. The bang of the gun rang in my ears. The old man collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap. The nearby Erasers were splattered in blood and bone and brain matter. I felt like throwing up. I felt like curling into a ball and crying. I felt like strangling the stupid whitecoat until her eyes popped out.

Instead, I got Angel's attention._ Now, Ange_! The little girl's face was green, but she managed a curt nod. She scrambled to the large glass door, her fingers fumbling with the many keys. Nudge dangled the gun between her two fingers like it was some repulsive thing. Her brown eyes were still wide at the shock of seeing a man executed right before her.

My eyes returned to the cold scientist. She wiped a spot of red off of her chin in distaste. Her steel eyes flashed at me in anger. She scowled at her wolffish flunkies. "What are you waiting for, you idiotic mongrels?!" She screeched.

The mutant-wolves growled in answer, rushing us. Nudge readjusted her grip on the pistol, pointing it at the approaching Erasers. Her arm shook. Before the young teen could fire her first shot, Angel called out, "Got it!"

"Thank God." Nudge muttered, dropping her aim. She tipped over the nearest metal table. The boxes of empty vials and dishes spilled all over the floor, giving us more time. The gun was quickly discarded a safe distance away.

Meanwhile, Fang and I were booking it out of there. We finally crossed the threshold of TITAN only a few steps behind Angel, with Nudge right at our heels. The desert floor crunched under our shoes, and a wave of heat slammed into us.

Within seconds we were rising in the air, flying over the wire fence. Taking a quick peek behind us, I saw that the Erasers had followed us out, but none had given chase. Maybe this new generation didn't have grafted on wings? Dr. Lavelle was with them, and she had somehow retrieved the gun again. She fired multiple shots at us which we dodged easily. Fang and I awkwardly supported the limb body between us, our wings beating in rhythm to keep from bumping into each other.

Gazzy and Iggy suddenly swept in. The Gasman had a second-degree burn crawling up his right arm, and Iggy had a black eye along with claw marks down his pant leg.

"Who's the newbie?" asked Gaz. "And, woah, are those _wings_?"

"Yeah, he's the new bird-kid. When he wakes up, you can interview him or whatever, but right now, we have to _go_."

No one disagreed. A bullet came dangerously close to Angel's wing, but she swerved so that it just skimmed her windbreaker. We soared over the California scrubland, leaving the School and all of its horrors behind. As I flapped my wings, my eyes drifted to the still boy. A feeling suddenly swelled inside my gut. I couldn't help but wonder what I had just gotten myself into.

* * *

Third Person

**Once Annabeth and Grover were out of eyesight**, Rachel let her facade crumble. She sagged further down on the rock, releasing a shaky breath. Her hands were clammy. She rubbed them against her flannel pajamas.

It had been hard talking with Annabeth. Hard to keep secrets from the daughter of Wisdom. Annabeth was one of her closest friends, and she hated lying to the blonde demigod. But, the things that she'd been seeing... Rachel couldn't put it into words. The visions terrified her. Visions of war, death, carnage...

The redhead blinked, wiping the images from her eyes. Sometimes, she hated her job. Being the Oracle had sounded great on the brochure, but nowhere had it said that she'd be having nightmares for weeks of her friends dying to an army of strange monsters, or seeing her best friend get tortured by some wack-a-doo doctors.

Rachel shook the thoughts from her head. No, she was glad that she had become the Oracle. She had been born for this, she knew. It was her purpose in life. If she could save lives this way, then she could handle a few bad dreams. Besides, she'd take being the Oracle of Delphi over future CEO of Dare Enterprise any day.

The hairs on her neck suddenly stood on end. A cool chill swept over her like she had decided to take a quick dip in an icy pool. She held her breath until the feeling subsided.

_It has begun_, a voice whispered in her ear.

Rachel scrambled to her feet, an unexplainable urge overcoming her. She walked stiffly to her cave entrance, brushing passed the embroidered curtains. Ignoring everything in the surprisingly spacious room, she marched straight to the shaded back corner. There, Rachel pulled out a large, blank canvas and her paint supplies.

_The pieces are all on the board_, continued the voice.

The paintbrush danced across the white canvas. Yellow, green, blue, orange. An image blossomed to life, birthed straight from the Oracle's mind. In her trance, Rachel couldn't control her actions. She was clueless as to what scene was manifesting before her.

_The game is about to unfold_.

The brush strokes became more frantic. Rachel's hand flew across the canvas, creating harsh, angry lines. Purple, red, gray, black. Fear seeped into Rachel's veins. War was on the horizon; she could feel it in her bones. That prickly feeling in her neck intensified.

_There is no hope for you_.

The redhead's grip faltered, causing the paintbrush to clatter to the floor. Rachel stared at the completed masterpiece, stumbling back in horror. Annabeth stood frozen before her, her golden hair blowing in the wind. Blood dripped from the side of her mouth, and her cheek was busted open. The daughter of Athena's face was twisted in terror, her eyes blown wide and mouth hanging open. Her hand was up to shield her face, her weapon long gone.

Seeing Annabeth like that disturbed Rachel. Her friend looked so vulnerable and scared and un-Annabeth-like that Rachel nearly didn't recognize her. But it was what the girl was cowering from that really shook the Oracle to her core.

Percy Jackson towered over his girlfriend with two massive shadows spread out behind him. His face was completely void of emotion. In his hand was Riptide, crimson liquid coating the bronze blade. His eyes were the worst part, however. Rachel's breath caught in her throat as she saw them. Instead of their hypnotic blue-green shade that mirrored the ocean, they were the color of ash. The color of death.

_I will prevail_.

* * *

**A/N: And that's a wrap for part one of Given to Fly! Thank you to everyone for reading and following and reviewing. It really inspires me to write more often, which is a win-win. **

**I added the title of part one to the first chapter, so if you're curious go check that out. Part two will be called "The Flock", so get ready.**

**If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to review or PM me. Also, I will take any suggestions into account. And if you feel at any time that a character is acting OOC, just tell me. There are a lot of characters in this story, so it is probably my fault for overlooking something. **

**And with that, I'll leave you to your day. Stay tuned for part two!**

**Au revoir,**

**~Wrendsor**


	24. B2: Chapter I

**A/N: Hello, and welcome to Book 2 of Given to Fly! The ball is now rolling and things are picking up. **

**Just to recap some things: Percy gets kidnapped while on a date with Annabeth. He gets taken to the School in a branch we now know is called TITAN. A woman named Margaretta Lavelle runs it and somehow knows who Percy is. She is also in league with Circe and an unnamed Mistress. While at the School, Percy gets a pair of wings and goes through many tortuous tests for twoish months (from December 18th to February 12th, I believe). Thankfully, the Flock has come to the rescue and gotten him out. Meanwhile, the gods don't know where the son of Poseidon is and a lot of unclaimed demigods have gone missing. In response to this, they closed down both camps, but that didn't go over well with Annabeth, who is sick and tired of her boyfriend getting kidnapped. Now, Annabeth and the Lost Hero trio have snuck out of camp in the hopes of bringing Seaweed Brain back. (And that's what you missed on _GtF_!)**

**DISCLAIMER: I am sad to inform you that I do not own Percy Jackson or Maximum Ride. If that ever changes, I'll let you know.**

**So, without further ado...**

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_**BOOK 2 : THE FLOCK**_

_Flock: (verb) to congregate or _

_amass in a large group_

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* * *

Maximum

**I always considered myself a strong person**. With the recombinant genes and all, I could beat a body builder in an arm wrestling match. But, after almost two hours of flying while carrying a winged teenage boy, I was starting to reconsider. He was only light about ten minutes into the flight, but now he seemed to weigh ten tons. Sweat trickled down my neck and my face was red from exertion. My hands cramped from trying to keep the boy from falling to his death. Beside me, Fang was dealing a little better than I was, but not by much.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed passed my discomforts and continued flapping. We had to get back to Utah before the unconscious bird-kid became the _dead_ bird-kid.

It seemed like the world wanted to spite me. Right after that thought, thunder rumbled in the distance. Thunder was loud from the ground, but when you have a front row seat to it? Well, let's just say that my string of cuss words that followed fell on deaf ears.

When the ringing in my head finally stopped, Nudge's voice floated over to me. "This is super dangerous. Where there's thunder, there's lightning, and I don't think any of us have a mutation for surviving lightning bolts."

"Woah, I call it!" Gazzy exclaimed.

"You can't just call a mutation." Angel told her brother.

He crossed his arms. "Says the girl who has like fifty of them."

Ignoring the sibling spat, I answered Nudge. "We need to focus on getting back to the safe house. If we're fast enough, I bet we can outfly the storm."

Nudge wrinkled her nose, but didn't argue. She helped reorient Iggy, who had gotten scrambled from the thunder, and led the flock back east. Fang and I were at the back due to our heavy load, but we put on another burst of speed to keep up with the others.

After a couple minutes, another crack of thunder shattered the silence. However, this one was accompanied by a downpour of rain. How it went from dry to raining forty miles an hour, I had no clue. Maybe Mother Nature was having a bad day? I mean, we were in a desert. There was not supposed to be rain in a desert!

Within seconds, we were all thoroughly soaked. The good thing was that it washed off all the blood that had dripped down my back. The bad thing was that we were now freezing cold.

The wind was howling, whipping my hair around like a tornado and making it hard to see anything. My teeth wouldn't stop chattering, and my fingers were numb. Fang tried to adjust his grip on the bird-kid, but his hand slipped.

I yelped as my load unsuspectingly doubled before plummeting through the thick gray clouds. My arms frantically went around the raven-haired kid's waist, hugging him to me. I flapped my wings, struggling to keep us both aloft while being battered by the winds. Even with my chest pressed against the guy's, I could barely feel his shallow intakes of breath. I gripped him tighter, pushing down my wings in a strong downstroke. We shot up a few feet, wobbling in the air. Clenching my jaw, I did another downstroke, and another.

A touch to my wing nearly made me drop the kid. I squinted through the rain to see a drenched Fang. He saddled up next to me, carefully taking the boy's arm and draping it over his shoulders.

With Fang's help, we quickly made it back to the rest of the Flock. Angel had lost one of her pigtails, and Nudge's face had gone pale. Gazzy was shivering, his hand clasped in Iggy's.

"We can't fly any further, Max!" Fang yelled over the howling wind. I nodded. I could barely hold myself up in this weather, much less another human being. Plus, everyone looked about ready to drop.

We swooped downward. Using my raptor vision, I spotted a large chasm in a pile of rocks that could do well as a cave. As soon as our feet hit the ground, we hurried over to the outcropping. The cave opening was big enough for Fang and I to slip in comfortably while carrying another person between us. Inside, it was about twenty feet deep, and Iggy's head just barely skimmed the top of it. Thankfully, it was bone dry. After digging out two flashlights from our backpacks, we settled in.

Fang and I propped the bird-kid against the left wall, making sure he wouldn't topple over. Then, each of us shucked off our soaked windbreakers and slipped on a dry pair of pants. Sadly, none of us had any blankets and didn't have access to wood, so we were still cold. Gazzy and Angel sat on either side of Nudge in the corner furthest from the opening, trying to huddle for warmth.

Meanwhile, Fang, Iggy, and I decided to check out the new kid. I kneeled in front of him, holding out my hand. Fang dropped one of the flashlights in it. Lifting one of the teenager's eyelids, I shined the light in his unresponsive eye before moving onto the next. In the back of my mind, I registered that he had very pretty eyes. They were a weird blue-green color that reminded me of the ocean.

I gave the flashlight back to Fang. "His pupils are the same size, so no concussion. I don't know why he's still knocked out."

Fang frowned, causing the shadows to move across his face. "Maybe the whitecoats drugged him?"

I shrugged, my eyes flickered over his slumped body. He was still in his clothes from TITAN. Now, on top of being raggedy and dirty, they were also drenched. The gauze over his arms was falling apart due to Fang and I holding him up.

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I reached for the hem of his ripped shirt. Keeping him in soaking clothes would not be good for his health, especially when he was so bad off to begin with. Also, we needed to inspect the damage done to him.

After carefully guiding his head and arms out of the shirt (which was harder than it sounds with a one hundred pound lump of unresponsive teenage boy), my eyes widened. So, his arms weren't the only things wrapped up. His entire chest was covered in crimson-stained gauze. I bit my lip, glancing in Fang's direction, but he was just staring at the guy with an unreadable expression. Taking a breath to steady myself once again, I unwrapped the kid's mummified chest.

I almost wished I hadn't.

It was... Well, it was bad. It looked like he went head-to-head with a wood-chipper. I gulped to keep myself from upchucking. Even Fang looked a little green.

Iggy reached a hand toward the boy. "So, how's my patient looking?"

"I'd give him an eleven on a ten point scale." I replied.

Iggy raised an eyebrow at that. He squatted right next to me, his fingers carefully inspecting the bird-kid's mutilated chest with a feather light touch. Even though Iggy was blind, he was the best with his hands. Whenever any of us had needed stitches or a limb bandaged, he was our go-to guy.

"He's definitely an eleven." Iggy murmured, wiping his hands on his fresh jeans. "Did anyone pack any first aide?"

"Angel has some unicorn band-aides," said Fang.

Iggy rolled his pale eyes. "Somehow, I don't think that'll cut it."

I got to my feet, marching over to where I had dropped my bag. After digging around in it, I shuffled back over to Iggy, handing him my extra shirt. "Will this work?"

The blind bird-kid shrugged. "I can work with it."

Iggy tore the tee shirt into strips and tied them around the worst of the guy's cuts. Most had scabbed over, but some were still bleeding and might need stitches. A few were starting to look pink with clearish liquid seeping out. "That can't be good." I muttered.

Fang nodded. "I think they might be infected."

"Infected? That's bad news." Iggy said, still knotting his makeshift bandages. "Like, hospital bad."

"Well, we can't go to a hospital; you remember what happened last time. Besides, even if we could, we're still in the middle of nowhere." I responded.

"Max is right," said Fang. "Our best bet is getting to Utah as quickly as possible. Dr. Martinez can fix him up when we get back."

Iggy didn't say anything, just refocused on his task. His fingers skimmed across the kid's shoulders, searching for more wounds, when they brushed across something metallic. "What's that?"

It was the dog collar. I had completely forgotten about it! "I think it's a shock collar. Me, Angel, Nudge, and Ar-um, we had ones like it back in Europe." I brushed aside the swell of grief that threatened to take over.

"Well, do you remember how to get it off?"

"Um, not really. Is there a buckle or something? They had to get it on somehow."

"Unless they welded it on." Fang supplied helpfully. I punched him in the arm.

Iggy scanned the smooth bronze surface of the band with his hands. When he reached the back of it, his brow wrinkled. "I think I found something? Not sure though."

"What is it?" I asked impatiently.

"It's some sort of hole, about half a centimeter thick."

"A hole? Like a keyhole?" The new voice right beside me nearly made me jump. Angel stood on my other side, peering down at the unconscious boy with a cocked head. How had she gotten there without me noticing?

"Maybe, yeah. But it's too small for my lock-picking tools." Iggy sat back on his haunches, turning his head in Angel's direction.

The little girl dug something out of her pocket, opening her fist so that the object shone in the light of the flashlight. "This might be able to open it."

In the palm of her hand was Dr. Toad's key ring. It surprised me that she still had it. If it had been me, I probably would've dropped it the second we got out of the building.

Angel glanced in my direction. "I thought we might need them latter. In case we had to go back." She grabbed one of the keys attached to the ring. It was different from any other key I had seen. Personally, I thought the term 'key' was too generous. The thing just looked like a thin metal stick with a loop around the end so that you could hook it on things. It was the same bronzy color as the dog collar.

The eight-year-old handed the weird key to Iggy. He reached behind the boy, sliding the stick into place.

Poof! With a puff of white steam and a small click, the device unlocked. Iggy quickly pulled it off the kid's neck. I winced, seeing the harsh red band that it left behind on the boy, a product of being shocked one too many times. Hopefully that wouldn't scar too badly.

Angel gasped loudly. "I-I can feel him now!"

"Huh?" Iggy quirked on eyebrow.

"Before, I couldn't get anything from him. It was like he was dead. But now I can sense his energy."

A smile grew across her face, but it was quickly replaced by confusion. "Oh, that's weird."

"What's weird, Ange?" I asked, concerned.

She brought a hand to her temple. "His thoughts. I can't read them-well, I mean, I can hear them, just not understand them."

"And that means...?"

"I think they're in a different language or something."

"Oh," Iggy said, "like Spanish?"

"Not Spanish. I know what Spanish sounds like, and this isn't it."

I sighed. "Well, this is just great. We manage to rescue a bird-kid from the School and he doesn't speak English. How are we gonna talk to him?"

Fang suddenly stiffened from behind me. "Wait. Wasn't he wet just a minute ago?"

I turned to look at the dark-eyed teen, my face just screaming '_well, duh!_' I mean; we had just gotten out of a storm, what did he expect? However, seeing Fang's serious expression made me take a second glance at the sleeping figure.

My mind froze. Instead of looking like he had just gotten out of the shower, the boy was now completely dry (minus the blood that had leaked through the makeshift bandages). "That's definitely not natural." I murmured.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Iggy retorted. Somehow, he dodged the punch I sent his way.

"Maybe it's one of his mutations?" Angel offered.

"Yeah, you're probably right." I answered. "At least it saves us from having to dry him ourselves."

Next to me, the youngest flock member suddenly let out a yawn. Her shoulders were slumped, and it looked like her eyes would slide closed any minute.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "How about we get a little shut eye until the storm blows over?"

Angel gave me a look of appreciation. After I kissed her temple, she hobbled over to where Nudge and Gazzy were already fast asleep (I could hear the latter's snores from the other side of the cave). Once she dug her stuffed teddy bear, Celeste, out of her pink backpack, she snuggled up into Nudge's side and promptly fell asleep.

"I'm gonna hit the hay, too." Iggy said mid-yawn. He lumbered over to the pile of bird-kids and collapsed next to the Gasman. "No funny business you two." He pointed an accusatory finger in our direction.

"Yes, Mom." I rolled my eyes at him, glad for once that he couldn't see the blush creeping up my face. He gave a tired chuckle before he, too, succumbed to sleep.

And then there were two...

Fang reached out and squeezed my hand. Thunder echoed in the distance, but I couldn't hear it over the pounding of my heart. Fang initiating physical contact was rare, so I let myself bask in the feeling of his hand around mine. Only a couple seconds passed before he dropped it. "I'll take first watch."

"Like hell you will."

"Max-"

"No, Fang." I interrupted him. "You're more injured than I am at the moment. Plus, it looks like you're gonna drop any second."

Both of my statements were true, and Fang knew it. He only resisted for a few more moments before crumbling. "Fine, but wake me up in an hour. We can only spare two hours here if we want to make it back in time."

I hummed my agreement. Fang joined the rest of the sleeping figures in their little huddle, only a few inches separating him from Angel. Even in sleep, Fang's posture looked alert. His body was slightly curved around Angel in protection. Angel herself was hugging Celeste to her chest and was tucked into the crook of Nudge's arm. Nudge's head rested on top of Gazzy's, her spirally hair tickling his nose. Iggy had his long limbs spread everywhere. One leg was splayed across Nudge's lap, and an arm was stretched over Gazzy's stomach.

Smiling at my little family, I settled down against the stone wall across from the mysterious new bird-kid. To pass the time, I started making shadow puppets using the flashlight. However, that plan failed quickly after I realized that the only things I knew how to make were a puppy and a rock.

About twenty minutes after I gave up on becoming a shadow puppeteer, I heard the rustle of clothing. My head shot up, whipping around to find the source of the sound. My eyes finally landed on the slumped figure across from me.

The teenager's face was scrunched in pain, sweat beading on his forehead. His breaths came in short pants through his mouth, and his eyes were rolling like crazy under his eyelids. Carefully, I scooted closer to him. Was he having a nightmare? From the pained sounds he was making, I'd guess so.

I quickly contemplated waking him. Were you supposed to wake a person mid-nightmare? I thought I heard somewhere that it was bad to do that, but then again my education was shaky at best. I settled for shaking the kid's shoulder (the un-bandaged one).

He jack-knifed into a sitting position, causing me to fall back on my butt in surprise. His eyes were both wild and glazed over at the same time, swirling like the rain outside. Whoops. So maybe waking the kid hadn't been the _smartest_ idea.

Then, he started talking gibberish. Or, well, not completely gibberish. It was some kind of ancient language, for sure, with the occasional English word thrown in here and there. I only caught a few phrases. "Ochi, ochi, ochi. Annabeth, parakaló̱! Thymi̱theíte, écho̱ na thymámai."

Then he started clawing at his face and arms, which was when I decided to intervene. No way did I want to have to fix that boy up again. If he ruined his bandages, then he was as good as dead. I grabbed his wrists, pinning them to his sides. He struggled against me, squirming and kicking to try to escape my grasp. The words continued to pour out of his lips, each louder and more frightened than the last.

All the racket finally woke the sleepyheads up. Iggy was the first conscious, rubbing his eyes and slurring out a "huh?" Fang was the first one fully aware, rushing to my side in a matter of seconds, the rest quick to follow.

"Geez, what'd you do to him, Max?" Gazzy asked.

"Nothing!" I protested. "He was having a nightmare or something, so I tried to wake him. I think he's still out of it."

Talking while holding down a rapid bird-kid was hard. He managed to free his right arm, quickly elbowing me in the nose with it. A curse escaped my lips as I felt my nostrils fill with coppery liquid. Fang saved me from further pain by recapturing the kid's wild arm.

"Can you do anything, Angel?" I asked, my voice thick from my clogged nose.

"I-I can try." Angel replied. She hesitantly stepped closer to us. After making sure that Fang and I had a secure hold on the guy, she gently cupped his face with her hands. Taking a deep breath, she narrowed her blue eyes on his hurricane ones.

Suddenly, the boy stopped moving as if he was shocked. Angel's eyes became unfocused, her eyebrows furrowing.

Five seconds passed in tense silence. Then, Angel cried out and stumbled back, tears streaming down her face. "Angel!" Nudge, Gazzy, and I all yelled. As soon as the contact was broken, the kid's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped against Fang.

I hurried over to Angel, wrapping my arms around her. She hid her head into my chest, her body quivering. My fingers ran through her blonde curls to try to soothe her.

"It was horrible, Max." She whispered.

I rubbed her back. "Shh, you're okay now."

The eight-year-old sniffled, finally glancing up at me. Her baby blue eyes were puffy and watery. "It was dark and fiery. There was red everywhere. And-and the monsters! Evil monsters with big claws and bat wings..."

I continued to make soothing sounds. Slowly, the blonde calmed down enough to stop shivering. I only released her so that Nudge could have her turn hugging the girl.

"What _was_ that?" Gazzy asked, his eyes flickering between the unnamed bird-kid and his little sister.

Angel wiped her running nose on her sleeve. "I tried to pull him out of his bad dream, b-but I got sucked in instead."

"How about you don't try that again?" Iggy suggested.

Angel nodded vigorously in agreement, tacking on a shaky "yeah" after realizing that the blind guy couldn't see her.

My gaze fell on the kid who was now unconscious once again. Fang looked uncomfortable with the guy passed out on his shoulder. That nightmare attack had taken a lot out of the bird-kid. He was paler than before and shivers occasionally racked his body. We still hadn't put a shirt back on him, so I could practically count each of his ribs.

He needed a doctor, and fast. I peaked through the cave opening and saw that the storm was now only a light drizzle. That would have to do. "C'mon guys, let's pack up. We need to get to Utah stat."

Fang narrowed his eyes at me. "But you never rested."

"No time. I promise to take a _long_ nap when we back back, but right now, we gotta _go_."

That was the end of the argument. We all re-packed our bags and slipped on our still slightly-damp windbreakers. Seeing that the boy was shirtless, Fang zipped him up in his jacket, glaring at me as if daring me to say something. As soon as the windbreaker touched the kid's shoulders, it immediately dried. My eyebrows rose, but I took it in stride.

Fang and I resumed our positions on either side of the teen. We awkwardly hobbled out of the cave behind the others. Imagine a three-legged race, but now make it a four-legged race with one of the three people unconscious, and that's about how it was. Thankfully we managed not to trip while making our way out.

Out in the open desert air, rain sprinkled down on us. The droplets felt like tiny icicles on my skin, but strangely I wasn't getting wet. It was a weird feeling. I glanced at the sleeping bird-kid from the corner of my eye. This was probably his doing. Maybe he could make everything dry by touch, like a personal hairdryer. That little mutation could definitely come in handy.

Ignoring the sprinkle of rain that tickled my skin, I stretched out my wings. "Up and Away, guys."

The Gasman whooped enthusiastically. "Yeah, let's blow this joint!"

Our groans could probably be heard all the way in Utah.

* * *

**A/N: And that's all for Chapter 1! Percy isn't looking too good at the moment. But, hey, at least his demigod powers are back! What do you people think is in store for these guys? **

**The Greek translates to, "No, no, no. Annabeth, please! Rember. I have to remember..."**

**For those who don't remember, here are the two prophesies:**

**The New Great Prophesy**

**"In the land without rain, the Sea withers away**

**And where six half-bloods fail, six Angels enter the fray**

**To free the Bane of Time that has forgotten the years**

**But not before the Vanquished Mother can reappear.**

**Disregarded and scorned, Cunning's vengeance shall prevail**

**Unless Science and Myth assemble when all else fails."**

**Annabeth's Quest**

**"Four half-bloods shall go to the land without rain**

**To save the Twice-Savior from everlasting pain.**

**They must travel by the path of the sun**

**Or else by lead astray by the Deceitful One.**

**The four shall be met with War and Death**

**'Fore the child of the eldest gods takes their last breath.**

**But Wisdom's daughter, beware the Sea**

**For where there is two, there must also be three."**

**Also, since I haven't mentioned what type of bird DNA Percy has, I'll tell you, along with what in my opinion the Flock has and my reason behind each.**

**Percy - Frigate bird: 18ft wingspan. Wings are black with a green undertone and a gray streak through the right wing (homage to the gray streak from holding up the sky). Frigates are seabirds, and nicknamed the Pirate birds. They have the longest wingspan in comparison to their height. This makes them aerodynamic, but awkward on land.**

**Max - Gyrfalcon: 14ft wingspan. Wings are white with brown and black speckles. Gyrfalcons are one of the largest falcons. They are the second fastest flying bird. Peregrines are the first, but the Gyrfalcon's wings matched the description of Max's to the tee, so I went with that.**

**Fang - Common Raven: 14ft wingspan. Wings are black with a purple undertone. Ravens have a relatively large wingspan. They are one of the most social birds, and given that Fang has a blog, it fits. Also, Ravens are known to be very protective over a small group of favorite people/animals/things, and Fang is protective over the Flock and sorta shies away from everyone else. **

**Iggy - Barn Owl: 15ft wingspan. Wings are white with silver and copper speckles. Owls are known for their sight, and Iggy mentioned how he had a highly developed sense of irony, so having the blind guy be part owl would be ironic. He was blinded because of a test to see in the dark, and owls are nocturnal, so it matches up. Plus, Iggy's strawberry-blond hair and pale complexion looks nice with the Barn Owl's wing colors.**

**Nudge - Osprey: 13ft wingspan. Wings are tawny on the underside but chocolaty brown on the top. Ospreys are Birds of Prey that primarily hunt near the sea and are known for their beauty. Nudge stated in the first or second book that she wanted to become an Oceanographer when she grew up, and she has a thing for fashion. **

**Gazzy - Swamp Harrier: 11ft wingspan. Wings are cream and tawny. Does this one even need explaining? Seriously, it has the word 'swamp' right in it.**

**Angel - White Dove: 10ft wingspan. Doves are often symbols of purity and are pictured in a lot of religions as a sign of peace. Her name is Angel, so a dove goes with the whole 'angel' façade the kid has going on. **

**That's all, if I'm not forgetting anything... Thanks for all of your follows, favorites, and reviews; I love you all! I'll try to upload the next chapter sooner.**

**Peace out,**

**~Wrendsor**


	25. B2: Chapter II

**A/N: Hey, guys. Here's another installment of _Given to Fly_ for you. **

* * *

Annabeth

**I wasn't a big fan of owls**. Which was atypical of a child of Athena, given our mother's sacred animal was the owl. However, after being led straight to Arachne by a pair of glowing red Strigidae eyes, I lost all veneration for the creatures. But this was the final straw.

Jason, Piper, Leo, and I had been flying for half an hour. The harsh winter wind whipped my loose curls about my head, the scenery passing underneath in a blur due to the pegasi's supernatural speed. A few yards behind me, I could spot the other three. Leo held onto Porkpie's coffee-colored mane in a vise grip, and sparks occasionally danced across his wild hair. The son of Hephaestus definitely preferred riding a metal dragon to a winged horse. Sadly, Festus was not a beast known for his stealth. The bronze dragon creaked and groaned when he moved, and his footsteps were as loud as thunder. If we had tried to escape on him, we wouldn't have made it passed Half-Blood Hill before the entire camp was alerted.

Beside the fire-user, Jason looked equally uncomfortable, though he tried his best to hide it. The son of Jupiter wasn't our best equestrian. Given who his father was, it made sense why he usually avoided them. The only horse Jason enjoyed was Tempest, and that was only because Tempest was a storm spirit.

Unlike the boys, Piper seemed to be perfectly relaxed saddled on the back of her speckled mare, Karma. She held herself with the grace of a royal, her back straight and her hands loosely grasped around the base of the pegasus's mane. The daughter of Aphrodite's eyes appeared blue under the moonlight, and immediately an image of Silena flashed before my eyes. I swallowed down a sudden swell of grief. Silena Beauregard had been the previous Aphrodite head counselor who had given her life in the Titan War the summer before last. Remembering my dead friend made my heart ache, but I couldn't help but think how proud she would be of Piper. The two siblings were a lot alike. Even though Piper was more tomboyish than her predecessor, they both were very passionate and knew the true value of love.

While I was lost in my thoughts, a streak of color flashed in my vision. My head whirled around to face it, but all I could see was the night sky. I frowned as my hand drifted to the hilt of my sword. It hadn't been a trick of the eye, I knew. After so many years of being in constant danger, I have realized that it was always better to trust your instincts than to brush them off. Blackjack must have spotted something too, because he started slowing down his pace.

"What is it, Annabeth?" Piper asked, flying up next to me.

My eyebrows furrowed as I glared into the dark clouds obscuring the night sky. "I thought I saw something."

"Did you get a good look at it?" Jason asked, pulling out his golden _gladius._ I shook my head.

"You sure you're not being paranoid? This screams D-rated horror movie to me." Leo suggested.

I narrowed my eyes at the Hispanic demigod.

The son of Hephaestus raised his arms in surrender, but then remembered that he was on a flying horse hundreds of feet in the air and scrambled to latch on again. "Okay, _fine_, we believe you. But this is still terribly cliché."

Piper rolled her eyes at Leo. If she was closer, she probably would have hit him upside the head.

Jason cleared his throat, saving Leo from being 'accidentally' impaled by my sword. "So, do you want to land just to be safe or-"

The blond demigod was cut off by a loud screech. As if on cue, several flying _things_ suddenly shot out of the clouds.

"Holy Hephaestus!" Leo cried as one dive-bombed him. Porkpie managed to swerve out of the way, but the creature's talons clipped his wing, causing him to whinny in pain.

I ducked as one of them made to claw at my face. One of the talons hit its mark, dragging a shallow trench into my cheek. Wasting no time, I unsheathed my ivory weapon and swiped up at it. The creature screeched as my sword made contact, skittering away from the deadly blade.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted Piper taking on three at once. Her jagged sword did a fair job keeping the beasts at bay, but she had trouble defending Karma. The pegasus was already suffering from multiple scratches, including a deep one down her leg from attempting to kick a monster.

Blackjack neighed as he deftly weaved through the flock of winged beasts, probably yelling insults at them in his horse-language. We swept up next to Jason and Bronte. The son of Jupiter swung his _gladius_ in an arc, aiming to decapitate a flailing monster, but the creature was fast and evaded the golden blade. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Jason called on a gust of wind to push the closest ones away.

"What are these things?" He yelled over the monsters' deafening cries.

I focused on the flying creatures, squinting my eyes through the darkness to better see them. Upon first glance, they looked like owls. Their wings were a dark crimson that slowly melded into their obsidian feathered bodies, and their beaks were long and solid gold. They each had four legs with razor-sharp talons that could cut through steel. Their pupil-less eyes glowed bright yellow, glaring at us with feral animosity.

I sucked in a deep breath, recognizing the beasts. "They're _striges_. They dwell on the outskirts of the Pit and kill their victims by disemboweling them before drinking their blood. The feathers from their wings can be used in a love potion, and they are the only birds besides bats that suckle their young."

"Thanks for the history lesson, Ms. Encyclopedia," Leo called over to us, "but how do we kill them? Our weapons are no good!"

With a jolt, I realized he was right. The injuries our swords had inflicted on the birds were already healed, and even the nail gun Leo had grabbed from his tool belt didn't leave any lasting marks.

Piper stabbed one in the eye, kicking it away from herself. The _strix_ shrieked as it plummeted to the ground, but it quickly caught its balance again. The eye was gushing blackish blood, but as I watched the damage was reversing itself.

This wasn't good. Not good at all. If our weapons couldn't take them out, then we didn't stand a chance. There wasn't much information about _striges _as they rarely escaped from Tartarus, so my knowledge about them was severely limited. Glancing below me, I could only see an ocean of trees. The forest seemed to ring a bell, and a plan slowly blossomed to life in my mind.

"Piper, Jason, do you think you can distract them for a few more minutes?" I asked.

The couple nodded. Piper tightened her grip on her sword, and Jason adjusted his glasses.

I turned to Leo. "You're with me, Repair Boy. Come on." Spurring Blackjack, the ebony Pegasus lowered into a dive, Porkpie quick to follow.

A few stray _striges_ noticed our descent, pulling away from their attack on Jason to snap at us. Leo raised a hand and lobbed a basketball-sized ball of fire at them. They squawked and scattered, the scent of fried chicken lingering in my nostrils.

As soon as Blackjack cleared the trees and landed on the grass, I slid off his back. Leo clumsily hobbled off Porkpie, putting up his fist for a fist-to-nose bump. The Pegasus obliged, tapping his tan muzzle against Leo's knuckles. I rolled my eyes while Blackjack just snorted at the two.

Above the tree canopy, I could hear the _striges_' cries getting louder. Jason and Piper were losing ground; we needed to hurry. I sheathed my weapon and dashed to my bag attached to Blackjack's saddle. After quickly shuffling through it, I pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I aimed the flashlight at the surrounding underbrush.

"So, what are we looking for?" asked the son of Hephaestus. He had exchanged his nail gun for a flashlight of his own and was sweeping the forest with it.

"Kinnikinnick."

"Um, bless you?"

"What? Gah, no! It's a type of _Arbutus_, also known as bearberry." I explained. "You see, there was this woman named Polyphonte, and she wanted to become a hunter of Artemis. Artemis accepted her, of course, because even though she was older than most, she was still a virgin. However, Aphrodite didn't like that. She thought that Polyphonte was failing her 'womanly duty', and so she cursed her to fall in love with a bear. Polyphonte eventually gave birth to two half-bear children. That obviously went against her vows to Artemis, especially since it was with a wild animal, so Artemis cursed her to become the first _strix_. Because of this, bearberry is poisonous to _striges_. It's the only way we can kill one."

Leo stared at me with a blank face. "Wait, so this chick actually got funky with a _bear_?"

I sighed. "Is that all you got from that story?"

"No. Hunter of Artemis, womanly duty, bearberry, et cetera, et cetera. But, seriously, a bear? Like, I know he must've been a real animal in bed, but still."

"_Di immortales_, Leo! Does a person's sexual preference really matter at the moment? Right now we just need to find some and dip our blades in the juice so that we can finally kill the damn things."

Leo stroked his chin. "Dip our blades, huh? I think I may have a better solution."

"And that is...?" I tried to rush him. The sounds of the battle were right above our heads now. If I listened hard enough, I could just make out Piper's voice over all the screeches as she tried charmspeaking them.

"Think about it. How can we take all these vampire owls out in one fell swoop?" Leo was starting to get excited; smoke was rising from his clothes.

His crazy idea suddenly clicked in my mind. "A bomb," I exclaimed.

"Yahtzee," He clapped his hands together. "A hand grenade, to be precise."

"That's brilliant, Leo!"

"What did you say? I didn't catch that."

"The moment's ruined." I scowled.

"Eh, you can't blame me for trying."

"Whatever. Let's focus on finding the bearberry. It looks like a shrub with red berries. Animals eat it during the winter because the berries don't rot from the cold temperature."

I scoured the underbrush for any bright colors. The woods were covered in a thin layer of snow from the previous night or two, so that would make it easier to spot the vibrant red against the white.

"Found it!" The fire-user called from the other side of the clearing. Turning around, I spotted the thick shrub he was pointing to. Its smooth green leaves were speckled with snowflakes, but the round berries stood out like blood.

"Perfect." I said, making my way over to him. We both picked a handful of the fleshy fruit, dropping them into a little pile on the grass.

Leo wasted no time, digging into his tool belt for the grenade tools. His arm disappeared up to his elbow as he searched for something.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked, trying not to fidget. With all the adrenaline running through my system added to my ADHD, I felt like I couldn't stand still. Plus, I felt useless doing nothing.

"Hmm, what?" Leo murmured as he tossed a Pepsi can next to the pile of berries and continued to search through his bottomless tool belt. "Oh! Uh, do you have a water bottle or something? I'm gonna need some water. Also some perfume, if you have some."

"Why would I bring perfume on a quest?" I restrained myself from strangling him. Smelling like an Aphrodite kid wasn't my top priority at the moment, believe it or not.

"Wait, nevermind, I got that covered." He added a can of axe to the growing pile.

"And you have axe in your tool belt, why?" I implored.

"Gotta smell nice for _mi amor,_ ya know?"

I wrinkled my nose, not bothering to respond. Instead, I hurried back over to Blackjack and dug around my backpack for a plastic water bottle. By the time I returned to Leo's side with the water in hand, Leo had gathered all the supplies and was downing the soda.

"That's gotta be a record." The Latino bleached after finishing off the Pepsi. "Anyway, the water, Ms. Chase?"

I handed him the water, which he poured into the thumb of a latex glove. From there, his hands moved so fast that I couldn't keep up (maybe it was a combination of his severe ADHD and the full can of soda that he just drank). He used some pliers to tweak a metal AA battery before rolling it in newspaper and plopping it ino the empty Pepsi can. Next, he shoved some of the berries in it and doused the whole thing with axe. He then knotted the latex glove to the pop tab. Finally, he wrapped the entire thing in more newspaper and tied it with dental floss, like some homemade Christmas present.

I pulled him to his feet. "We have to hurry. Jason and Piper won't last much longer."

"What, no 'good job, Leo'? I'm hurt."

"Maybe after the _striges_ are all blown away."

I grabbed the homemade grenade from the fire-user and shoved him at Porkpie. Within seconds, we were flying back above the trees on the backs of our pegasi. We were met with five _striges _giving us a warm welcome back. One was immediately on top of me, its talons digging into my right thigh and its golden beak clamping onto my forearm. With my other hand occupied with holding the bomb, I couldn't draw my sword. Sucking in a pained breath, I elbowed the _strix_ in its unblinking yellow eye. It squawked, releasing my arm. As soon as my arm was free, I grabbed my sword and stabbed at the monster still clinging onto my thigh. The blade pierced through its wing, and finally the demon owl lost its grip and tumbled through the dark clouds.

Leo, meanwhile, was keeping three of them busy, alternating between shooting fireballs at them and celestial bronze nails (he'd retrieved his nail gun once again). Blackjack was also in the middle of a battle with a _strix_. The creature zipped around the Pegasus, occasionally zooming in to peck or scratch at him. When the _strix_ got close enough, I kicked it, spending it spiraling.

With all the immediate danger out of the way, I could finally spot Piper and Jason. They were in the middle of a swarm of them (would you call still call it a parliament even if they were technically not owls?). Around fifteen—maybe twenty—flew around the two demigods. Jason's shirt was in tatters and scratches crisscrossed his arms. Miraculously, his glasses still remained on his face, but they were splattered with blood dripping from a cut on his eyebrow. Piper was in an equal state of disarray. Black feathers were littered in her hair, and unlike usual, I knew those weren't put there of her own doing. One of her arms was holding her side, and even from where I was, I noticed the darkness staining it.

"Come on, Blackjack," I urged, patting his neck, "let's go join the fun."

The winged horse whinnied as if to ask, "are you crazy?!" Or maybe he said something like, "bring it on!" From the stories Percy had told me, the latter sounded more likely. There was a reason this was Percy's pegasus, after all.

The thought of my boyfriend caused my stomach to tighten into a knot. I hadn't seen him in nearly two months. Or well, not in person at least. The last time I had seen him... Let's just say it wasn't pretty. Thinking back to the dream I had just a few hours ago made my stomach even queasier, but it also ignited my anger. I spurred Blackjack, ignoring the twinge in my right leg. Like a torpedo, the pegasus propelled into the fray.

_Striges_ came at us from all sides. I slashed at one, nearly slicing its leg clear off, and bashed another's head in with the hilt of my bone sword. It was difficult fighting on a pegasus while holding a grenade in one hand and a weapon in the other. I nearly fell off at one point, but my thighs tightened around the saddle, and I managed to just barely stay on.

Finally, we shot straight through the flock of demon birds and into the open air. Blackjack wheeled around, surprised by the sudden lack of enemies. Looking around, I realized that we were in a pocket of air. Wind blew in a cyclone, keeping the _striges_ at bay. It reminded me of an eye of a hurricane.

"Jason can't hold this for long." Piper's voice interrupted my wandering thoughts. "So, what's your plan?"

Before I could respond, Porkpie popped out of the mass of monsters, Leo on his back. "Wow, what a rush. It's like a car wash, except without the car, and instead of washing, a bunch of evil owls are trying to gut you."

"Guys." Jason's strained voice reached our ears. "You might wanna speed this up."

"Right, sorry," I said. "_Striges_ are susceptible to _Arbutus_. Luckily for us, bearberry is pretty common in the Northeast. Leo and I made a hand grenade. It should take them all out at once."

Piper frowned. "I know we can't be poisoned by bearberry, but I don't think all of us can survive an explosion." She looked pointedly at the son of Hephaestus.

"When are you gonna let that go, Beauty Queen?" Leo groaned.

"Piper has a point, though." I conceded. "Jason, can you-"

"Wait, I have an idea." The daughter of Aphrodite interrupted. "Can I have the bomb?" Carefully, I tossed it over to her. She snatched it out of the air.

"I can't hold it much longer." Jason gasped. His face was completely red from the strain of holding so many _striges_ back.

Piper held the grenade above her head. She took a deep breath, and then, she spoke. "Hey, Owl Heads! _Go fetch_!" She threw the grenade.

As her powerful charmspeak rushed over me, I resisted the urge to jump after the bomb. Blackjack inched closer for a second before shaking himself out of it. The _striges_, however, all dove for the falling grenade. Our protective wind barrier burst as multiple monsters swept passed in an attempt to fetch it. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jason slump against Bronte's neck.

A _strix_ managed to catch it in its talons right above the tree line. Two of its brethren attacked it, angered that they didn't get to the bomb first. Leo's eyes widened in alarm. "Go, go, go! It's gonna-"

_BOOM!_

The explosion burned my eyes, and I brought my arm up to shield my face from debris. The heat blew over us like a wave, filling my lungs with fumes and causing the pegasi to falter in the air. A splatter of wetness hit my cheek. Fingers shaking, I wiped the sticky substance off. Relief flooded through me as I realized it was berry juice. The plan must've worked then.

"Good job, Leo." I muttered. He gave me a thumbs up before patting the fire out of his hair. "Let's land so we can regroup."

The others nodded their assent. We wordlessly descended down to a clearing wide enough to accommodate all four pegasi's wingspans. Swinging my left leg over, I slipped off of Blackjack's back. I stumbled as my right leg touched the ground, a hiss of pain escaping my lips as I steadied myself using Blackjack. The pegasus himself wasn't looking very well either. Slashes riddled his chest and legs, and his wings were missing several clumps of feathers.

I unlatched my bag from his saddle to relieve some of the weight from his back, tossing it onto the snowy grass. Carefully kneeling down, I dug through the pack to grab the first aid kit I had packed. "Is everyone alright?" I called out, struggling back to my feet.

"Oh, I'm great. I feel like I could run a marathon." Leo grumbled.

Piper moved to sock him in the arm but winced and clutched her side. "Ow. One of them got me pretty good. Clawed up my ribs."

I lifted up her shirt to see three long scratches across her left rib cage. Thankfully no bone could be seen, but there was still a lot of blood.

"That doesn't look too good." The son of Jupiter murmured.

"Speaking of not looking good..." Leo said. "You look like you got attacked by a chicken coop."

Jason swayed on his feet, woozy from the amount of power he just exerted. The cut above his eyebrow wasn't bleeding anymore, but his glasses hadn't yet been cleaned. He was covered from head to toe in black feathers, the blood on his arms acting as glue. I tossed Jason a baggie filled with ambrosia, which he caught after some fumbling.

Since Jason was now taken care of, I turned back to Piper. "Can you lay down for me?"

The brunette acquiesced without argument, leaning back onto the chilly ground. Once she was in a supine position, I dribbled some nectar onto her wound. The cuts slowly scabbed over, new skin growing back in place. Piper let out a relieved breath. "Thanks."

The charmspeaker sat back up, sliding her ripped shirt back down to cover her abdomen. When she noticed my torn up thigh, her kaleidoscope eyes flickered up to mine. "Annabeth, your leg-"

"Mhmm, I got it, Piper." I said. Now that my adrenaline high was gone, I could feel every slice that the _strix_'s talons had gifted me with. My muscle was definitely shredded, but it wasn't deep enough to reach bone. I poured some nectar over my own wound, relishing in that calming sensation that godly food always brought. After that, I handed an ace bandage to Leo, which he carefully wrapped my thigh with. Even though the nectar had worked to speed my healing process up, my leg was still injured. At the very least, now I could walk on it with minimal difficultly.

"Annabeth," Piper got my attention, "the pegasi..."

"They won't make it all the way across the country." Jason finished his girlfriend's thought. "They're too injured."

The couple was right. The four pegasi came out of the fight worse off than we did. The winged horses hadn't had the benefit of weapons, and godly food would only spontaneously combust them. They needed to be seen by the Apollo cabin right away.

I clambered to my feet, shuffling over to the battle-worn pegasi. "Thank you for the ride, but I think we can make it from here. You guys head back to camp to be checked out, alright?"

Blackjack snorted in protest, stomping his hoof on the ground. I rubbed his neck. "We'll get your boss back, don't worry, but you need to get to the infirmary. You don't want to die of blood loss before you get to see Percy again."

The black beast huffed, but didn't seem to argue. He stretched out his large, damaged wings before taking to the sky, the other three right on his tail.

"How are we going to get to California now?" Jason asked. He looked much better after eating the ambrosia and had wiped most of the feathers off of himself.

"Let's worry about getting some shelter first. After that battle, I think the best thing we can do is rest." I said, swinging my bag over my back.

"Sooo... Where do you propose we make camp?" Leo wondered.

"I think we're somewhere in New Jersey. If we walk far enough, we'll hit a road eventually."

The three nodded, albeit reluctantly. After fighting those _striges_, all of us were ready to just collapse for the night. However, we all shouldered our backpacks and set off through the forest.

After hiking for about twenty more minutes, my leg was on fire, and my right arm was starting to sting from the _strix_ bite. The entire time, a single thought swirled around my mind. Yes, it was true that I knew little about the nature of _striges_, however, I did know more than I had led on. In everything that I had come across, one thing was certain: _striges_ were harbingers of war. And if that was the case, then this was just the beginning...

"Yo, peeps! I spy with my little eye... the end of this freaking forest." Leo called back. He was a few paces in front of us. When we caught up, we saw that he was right. The thick evergreen trees spit us out onto the side of an old paved road.

"Oh my gods, look! A building, finally. I'm freezing." Piper pointed to a small, decrepit building on the other side of the road, her teeth chattering.

When I spotted it, my blood ran cold, and it had nothing to do with the temperature. I didn't have to read the sign to know instinctively what it said.

Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium.

* * *

**AN: Dun, dun, DUN. Our demigods have found themselves at none other than Medusa's lair, on top of being injured, freezing, and without a ride. Not the best start to their quest, as you can tell. And it only goes downhill from here...  
**

**Next chapter we get back with the flock. How is Percy holding up? Will he even survive the flight back? (Okay, spoiler alert: he will. I'm not cruel enough to kill him off right when he just escaped.)**

**Until then,**

**~Wrendsor**


	26. B2: Chapter III

**A/N: Hi, guys! Long time, no see? Sorry for my long absence. My friend group kinda got split into two, and of course I was smack dab in the middle, leaving me with having to choose between either side. It sucked, majorly. On the bright side, Halloween was fabulous (I'm pigging out on my stash of candy as I type this). **

**Anyway, here's your next chapter. It's a little on the short side, but I really liked how I ended both parts, so I didn't want to add to them.**

* * *

Maximum

**Time always managed to piss me off**. In my early years as a lab rat (well, lab bird, technically), I hadn't really known what the exact concept of time was, except that it felt like forever being stuck in a cage doing nothing. The two years that had followed our escape felt like a blink before Jeb was suddenly missing-assumed-dead. That time on our own, getting through the day by the skin of our teeth, had felt like decades instead of just a couple years. And then there was Angel's capture, and everything after that was just _boom, boom, boom_, one thing after the next. We'd barely had time to breathe before we were shoved into the next world-saving project.

Now, however, the last four hours seemed to pass at a slug's pace. It's funny how right when you needed time to get its ass in gear, it decides to just trudge along. And when I said funny, I meant really flipping inconvenient. You'd think that Father Time would have better timing.

All that passed through my mind as I held onto the unconscious kid slumped between Nudge and I (Fang, Iggy, Nudge, and I were taking turns carrying him, 'cause man, ever try to fly with a hundred pound weight attached to you? It definitely wares you out). We were so close to the safe house, yet I still feared we might be too late. The bird-kid's skin was clammy and pale beneath my hands, his breathing quick but shallow. Even though I wasn't a doctor like my mom, I knew how much trouble he was in.

"We're here, Max!" Angel suddenly called back to us. Hearing the news, I gave a sigh of relief. My wings were shaking from the strain, and I was sure Nudge felt the same.

"Uh oh, _somebody_ doesn't look too happy," the Gasman muttered.

The ten-year-old was right. Standing on the roof of the safe house with his arms crossed was Jeb Batchelder. I could practically see smoke billowing out of his ears as he searched for us in the clouds. Beside him, my mom paced back and forth. She looked more worried than angry, though.

The moment we all landed, Jeb marched over to us, his face seething. My wings flattened against my back, and my fists tightened unconsciously in the kid's jacket.

"Maximum Ride," he started, forcing the words out through clenched teeth.

Before he could finish his sentence, Mom interrupted. "Max, sweetie—wait, is that a _boy_?! Oh my."

Faster than lightning, she was in front of us, checking the kid's pulse. Concern flashed across her face.

"What did I tell you about leaving, young—" Jeb tried to continue, but was quickly cut off again.

"That can wait for now, Jeb." Dr. M said briskly. "We need to get this boy to the lab. He needs immediate attention."

Batchelder glanced at the pass-out bird-kid in my arms, surprise flickering in his eyes like he'd just now noticed his presence. He moved closer to Nudge and I, carefully grabbing the raven-haired teen and carrying him bridal-style. When the weight was finally removed from me, it felt like the world had just been taken from my shoulders. The flock and I followed behind Mom and Dr. Batchelder as they hurried down one floor to the nearest lab, where Dr. B laid his cargo on a clean examination table.

Mom got to work, frantically digging through drawers and cabinets to pull out medical equipment. She snapped on some latex gloves before attaching the kid to a heart monitor and an oxygen mask.

"Fang, can you remove his jacket for me? Nudge, Max can you two wipe his injuries with this disinfectant?" She handed us a bottle of antiseptic and cloths. "Hook him up to an IV for me, Jeb. He's extremely dehydrated."

Mom ordered us around with clinical coolness. Despite the tense situation, she managed to have everything under control. "He's gone into hemorrhagic shock, verging on hypovolemic shock." She informed us—mostly Jeb, who was the only one who knew what that was. I knew want shock meant though, and it wasn't anything good.

Fang had already taken the windbreaker off of him. Nudge and I were working on disinfecting the wounds, although it looked like we were a bit late for some of them. Mom worked around us, examining the cuts on his body. Jeb attached an IV to one of his arms, which was connected to a bag of hydrating fluids.

"Iggy, I'll need you to help me stitch him up. We have to stop the bleeding." Iggy nodded, closing his hand around the gloves Mom handed him. The two got to work lacing the deeper cuts closed.

Angel and Gazzy stood a little ways away from the chaos, watching with worried eyes as we buzzed around the unconscious teenager. Fang, Nudge, and I soon joined them, our respective jobs completed. Angel slipped her hand into mine. I squeezed it in reassurance.

Time dragged on, each second lasting longer than the last. The heart monitor beeped rapidly in rhythm with the boy's heartbeat, and I found my own racing it. Fear crawled into my throat. What if the kid died before Mom could fix him up? Maybe if we had just gotten to the School a little sooner, he'd have been fine by now.

Eventually, Mom stepped back from the examination table, placing the bloodied needle and remaining thread on a counter. She wiped her brow with her forearm. Beside her, Iggy slipped off his crimson-stained latex gloves, handing them over to Mom, who put them in the trash bin along with her own.

"Is he going to be okay now?" asked Angel, looking up at my mother with pleading eyes.

"His bleeding has stopped now, but I still need to regulate his heartbeat. For that I need to make sure that the whitecoats didn't put any drugs in his bloodstream that conflict with the ones I have to administer," she explained. "Jeb, would you…?"

"Already on it," he replied, digging something out of a cabinet. He came back with an empty syringe and stabbed it into one of the kid's veins. Once the shot was filled with red liquid, he handed it over to Dr. Martinez. She nodded in thanks, hurrying over to one of the many machines.

Jeb then turned to us, examining us with unreadable eyes. "Come on, kids. Valencia can finish the rest on her own; we need to talk." He said it with finality, like there wasn't even a question that we wouldn't listen. I would've told him to shove it, but glancing over at Mom, I realized that we would just be a burden to her if we stayed.

Scowling, I followed after Jeb as he exited the laboratory, filing out into the beige-walled hallway. Nudge shut the door behind herself, the last to leave. When the door was firmly shut, Jeb spoke. "Max, I specifically ordered you to _wait_ for my instruction before flying off to TITAN."

I dropped Angel's hand so I wouldn't squeeze it to death in my anger. "Well, given that that was a stupid order, I elected to ignore it."

"Stop being immature, Maximum. You risked the lives of your family by attacking the building without being informed. What if they had had more security measures? You could've been killed—or worse, recaptured and experimented on like an animal once again."

"Well, that didn't happen." I retorted. "Plus, if I had listened to you, that kid would be dead by now!"

Jeb clenched his jaw. "This has caused us a major setback. We were close to infiltrating the organization, but your stunt has made me lose contact with our informant."

The image of Dr. Toad being shot burned behind my eyes. My breathing hitched. "About that…"

Something akin to fear flashed across Batchelder's face. "Max, what happened?"

My throat was swollen shut; I couldn't speak. Thankfully, Fang did the talking for me (for once). "He's dead. Dr. Lavelle killed him."

That set something off in Jeb. He shoved an accusing finger in my face. "That is _exactly_ why I told you to wait, Max. You just compromised our entire operation! We don't know want TITAN is planning, or how far their power extends. You could have just destroyed the fate of the world! Is one single life _really_ worth the billions of other lives?"

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them spill. My fists shook. His words felt like hammers beating into my skull. Had it been worth it? Was it right of me to endanger the entire world for one kid?

Nudge, who had been uncharacteristically silent until that point, decided to speak up. "I personally think we did the right thing. Every life is precious, you know? If we live in a world where life is seen as a privilege instead of a natural born right, then that's not a world I want to live in."

The rest of the flock was nodding their heads in agreement. A small flush of pride swelled in me. Since when had Nudge gotten so wise? That sounded like something you'd hear in a hallmark card, not coming from a thirteen-year-old's mouth.

"Plus," the girl continued, "before Fang and I got ambushed, I managed to hack into their network and download some of their files. I emailed them all to Dr. Martinez because I didn't have a flash drive with me at the time and was a little rushed given the circumstance."

Jeb was quiet for a few moments, digesting the slew of info that Nudge just threw up. "Did you happen to see what the files were about?"

"No," Nudge shook her head. "They were all encrypted."

"I'll have someone get right on that; thank you, Nudge. As for you…" he turned to me again, his face hard. "Your actions cost Dr. Barrett his life today. He was a good scientist and an even greater man. Remember that next time you think about disobeying a direct order."

After that little proclamation, Batchelder stalked down the hall, pulling out his phone as he went. Once he was out of eyesight, my shoulders sagged. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, collecting my emotions before addressing the flock. "Well, it's been a long day, guys. We should probably all hit the sack."

Fang watched me, his dark eyes understanding. He put his fist out, the others quick to stack theirs on top. A smile found its way to my face as I placed my own fist on the pile.

Maybe I _had_ put the world at stake when we went to rescue the kid, but at least the flock and I were here to save it.

* * *

Perseus

**I woke up to the smell** of chemicals and the beeping of a machine. My mind felt like jello. My body felt like I'd been tossed into a blender set to puree. I groaned, flinging my arm up to rub my face. There was a slight tugging on my forearm, barely noticeable underneath all the soreness. When I finally decided to drag my eyelids open and spotted the IV attached to my wrist, everything came flying back into place.

The weird beeping noise sped up as I started freaking out. Shit, shit, shit, what were the whitecoats injecting me with _now_? My head whipped around the room, trying to spot any mad scientists or Erasers, but I was completely alone.

Alone and not strapped down.

In the second it took me to register that, I was ripping all the wires off of my arms. The machine next to me made a loud blaring noise as I disconnected myself from it, but that didn't stop me. I swung my legs over the bed. That proved not to be the best decision, because my vision immediately went black. Pushing passed the swell of nausea, I forced myself to my feet, swaying dangerously.

The only thing that was on my mind was escape. I had to get out of this place. This would probably be my only chance. Stumbling to the nearest counter, I shuffled through the drawers for something to use as a weapon. Going head to head against half-wolf mutants in my condition would be suicidal; I needed something to give me the upper hand.

The sound of the door creaking open behind me caused my muscles to tense. Grabbing the closest thing to my hand—a pair of weird-looking scissors—I spun around. That turned out to be another stupid decision. My stomach attempted to evacuate my body through my throat, like '_sorry you got caught man, but I'm outa here!_'

Trying not to pass out, I pointed the crooked scissors at the whitecoat threateningly. "Move out of the way, lady, or I'll have to use these."

The woman held her hands up. She was probably Hispanic, with dark hair tied in a messy ponytail and inviting brown eyes. The strangest thing about the whitecoat, however, was that she lacked the distinguishing white lab coat. Maybe she was an intern? Or she'd forgotten hers at home? "I highly doubt you'd be able to use those. You've been in a coma for two days. I'm surprised you're able to walk around, much less threaten me with scissors."

"Just. _Move_." I gritted out. It was hard to tell which lady to talk to, because now there were three all swimming around my vision.

To give the whitecoat credit, she _did_ move. Just not where I wanted her to. She approached me slowly, her hands still up in the universal '_I come in peace_' sign. "I'm sorry for not being present when you woke up. This must be all very disorientating for you. The whitecoats had you on a very nasty concoction of drugs. You're lucky I found the right medicine to counteract it."

My fist tightened around the makeshift weapon. The way she talked about whitecoats… it made her sound like she _wasn't_ one. I narrowed my eyes on her. Maybe this was all a ploy that Dr. Lavelle had set up? That sounded like something Dr. Loco would do.

When I didn't respond, the woman continued. "I know this might be hard to believe, but you are no longer at the School anymore. My daughter and her friends rescued you from that place. You're safe now." She said calmly, like she was speaking to a rapid animal.

And, man, I wanted to believe her _so badly_ that it _ached_. No more debilitating physical tests or excruciating experiments? Sign me up, please. Too bad I wasn't naïve enough to actually think she was telling the truth. The School was all there was for me; it was all I could remember. It was my past, present, and future.

The heart monitor was still droning on, sounding like a screeching cat, but the lady in front of me didn't seem affected. She stared at me with those brown eyes, asking—no, _pleading_—for me to believe her. It was enough for my resolve to falter, but only for a second.

While she was off guard, I lunged for her. No, I wasn't _actually_ going to kill her with the scissors. I was just gonna knock her out long enough to make my heroic escape. But did the new intruder, who ran in at that very moment, know that? To give you the short answer: no.

The girl's eyes widened (the same brown eyes that the woman had, I realized later). "No!" She shouted.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground with my hands held firmly above my head. A groan escaped my lips. _Ouch_. Being tackled to the tile ground after just waking up from a coma could _not_ be good for me. My eyes lost focus as I concentrated on staying conscious. When the fuzziness finally cleared from my mind, I was met with the angry face of a sixteen-year-old girl. "What the _hell_ was that for, kid?" She yelled, rage practically rolling off her in waves.

"Max," the whitecoat called from a few feet away. "Everything is completely fine."

"Fine, Mom? You call nearly getting gutted '_fine'_?" She turned her attention to the woman (her mom?), her weight shifting. I wiggled to try to get out from under the crazy teen, but she just gripped my wrists tighter.

"Honey, the last time he was awake, he was at the School. Now, he wakes up in a strange laboratory. What do you think his rational assumption would be?"

The girl—Max, apparently—took in this new information. She turned to me, her face apologetic all of the sudden. Finally, she got off of me, freeing my arms. I gave a sigh of relief, pushing myself shakily back to my feet.

"Sorry about that, um…"

"Subject 17." I replied dully.

Fire flashed behind Max's eyes. "I don't care what the whitecoats named you. What do you want your name to be?"

I still didn't completely trust this whole '_we-just-rescued-you-from-the-School-and-now-you're-safe-from-those-mean-scientists_' business. It sounded too good to be true. Plus, I didn't want to give up my name. It was all I had left that the whitecoats hadn't taken from me. If I gave it up, what would become of me?

But that fire I saw behind her eyes… I recognized it. It was the same fire that filled me up whenever the whitecoats asked me to do some stupid test for them, or whenever they brought in yet another mutant child to torment. This girl, Max, she had gone through the same thing. She _knew_.

And that was why I told her.

"Percy." I held a hand out to her; she shook it.

"Maximum Ride. This is my mom, Dr. Martinez." She nodded to the woman I almost attacked with scissors. Max smiled, spreading her arms out on either side of her. "Welcome to the outside world, Percy."

* * *

**A/N: This was the first Percy POV in awhile. You like? The hardest part was leaving out any fun mythology-related analogies, and he can't use his unique curse words. **

**Also, what did you think of Jeb and Max's fight? Do you agree with Jeb's line of reasoning, or Nudge's? And what could possibly be in those encrypted files?**

**I wanna give a quick thanks to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited this story. You people give me life.**

**Stay classy,**

**~Wrendsor**


	27. B2: Chapter IV

**A/N: _What_, you ask? _Wrendsor is actually updating _twice_ in a _single_ week? Is-is this sorcery? Am I hallucinating? _**

**The answer: no, you are not hallucinating. I just finally got off my lazy bum and got stuff done. Productivity does wonders. I highly recommend it. **

**That being said, enjoy this chapter because I don't know how long my productive streak is gonna last.**

* * *

Annabeth

**There's a reason criminals** should never go back to the scene of their crime. The same went for demigods and monster lairs. As I continued to stare at the building in shock, the memories of my first quest washed over me: trekking across the entire country; facing down the Furies, Medusa, Echidna, Procrustes, and Cerberus; doing that stupid side quest for Ares and getting embarrassed by going through the tunnel of love. We had been so innocent back then. We'd thought that walking through the Underworld would be the hardest thing that we'd ever have to do. I felt jealous of our naivety. Sure, things weren't exactly easy back then, but they definitely beat what we had to face now.

"Annabeth? Are you alright?" Piper's voice broke me out of my memories. Her arms hugged herself as she looked at me in concern.

"I've been here before," I informed the three half-bloods.

"Really?" asked Leo. He gestured to the flickering sign. "Do you collect gnomes or something?"

I clenched my jaw. "No. This isn't a gnome emporium. It used to be Medusa's lair."

They glanced back at the sign, finally realizing what 'Aunty Em' truly meant. Piper paled, and Leo's hand drifted to his tool belt. Jason swallowed. "I'm assuming she's no longer in commission anymore?" He asked.

"You'd be correct in that assumption," I said. "Percy took her out."

"Why am I not surprised?" Leo snorted. "That guy sure does get around."

Piper shook her head in exasperation. "Leo, I'm sure that sounded _way_ better in your head."

Leo shrugged. "All I mean is that he somehow manages to piss off every monster, god, titan, and their mother."

"You're right, Leo," I told him. "In fact, that's the entire reason we're in this mess."

Their faces immediately dropped. I practically had 'buzzkill' written across my forehead.

Jason cleared his throat awkwardly, desperate to clear the tension. "Do you think it's safe to rest in, Annabeth? If we stay out in the open, we'll likely freeze to death."

"Well, Kronos used it as the base for his army during the Titan War. After we defeated them, they all were either killed or went into hiding, so I'd say it's most likely safe."

They took my word for it. As much as I didn't want to go back into that place, I also didn't want to stay out in the snow. We crossed the empty road and made our way to the abandoned store. Piper peeked into one of the windows, but it was too dusty to see anything.

Reaching the door, Leo graciously stepped aside. "Ladies first."

I rolled my eyes, shoving passed him and entering the emporium. The smell of mildew hit me like a wave. Small dust clouds wafted up from my feet. Looking down, I spotted a gigantic, hairy _thing_ scurry passed my shoe.

I screamed.

"Annabeth!" Jason barreled through the doorway, quickly followed by Piper.

Leo ran in behind them, his hands on fire. "Where is it?!"

I pointed to the creature on the ground, practically paralyzed.

The son of Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "It's a spider," he deadpanned.

Piper punched him in the arm, glaring at him. Jason stepped on the vile arachnid, causing me to release the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Well, now that the big, bad beasty is gone—_ouch_—" cue another punch from Piper, "How does tacos sound to everyone? I don't know about you peeps, but I'm starved." Leo's stomach rumbled as if it was agreeing with his statement.

The son of Jupiter nodded. "Yeah, food sounds good right now. We need to get our strength back before continuing on to California."

Although I wanted to reach California as quickly as possible, even I seconded Jason's opinion. If we were to travel cross-country, we'd need all the strength we could get. Plus, I doubted any of us could have moved another inch after our fight with the _striges_ and subsequent hike through the woods. I hated, hated, _hated_ leaving Percy in the hands of an unknown evil, but it was needed if we were going to rescue him at all.

Swallowing the sudden thickness in my throat, I moved to the table in the middle of the room. It hadn't been there in my previous trip here, and I could see why. On it was a map of Manhattan covered in random markings and Greek words. Kronos's war plans, I figured. Not bothering to read it in fear of dredging up memories I'd already put to rest, I tore it into pieces and tossed them aside. As I settled into the chair at the head of the small table, the others followed suit.

The fire-user had already pulled out the ingredients needed for tacos from his trusty tool belt. After cooking the ground beef (tofu for Piper), he dished it onto tortillas, piled vegetables on top, and handed one to each of us. We all dug into our meal, happy to finally get some sustenance into our bodies.

Once we were all finished eating, Piper took the chance to speak up. "So, do we know exactly where we're going?"

The trio all looked to me for an answer, which I readily gave. "I've been thinking about that, actually. In the prophesy, it mentioned that we had to travel by the path of the sun. My guess is that it means we have to follow the sun's path across the sky, so we go west."

"Does that mean we have to only travel during the day?" Jason inquired. "Because the sun disappears over the horizon at dusk."

Piper nodded, thinking along the same lines of her boyfriend. "That would tie in with the next line—the one about the 'Deceitful One'. Maybe he has some power over the darkness?" She speculated.

I paused in thought. "Yes, I can see the logic in that, but I don't like the idea of waiting through the night. That would cut down time we could have used travelling. It would take us longer to reach Percy."

Jason frowned. "That's true, but if we risk it, the 'Deceitful One' could lead us away from Percy, like the prophesy says. Then we might never find him."

I bit my lip, contemplating his words. My mind agreed with him completely, yet my heart was a different matter. It cried so loudly for its other half that I could barely listen to rational thought. "Yeah, that makes sense, I—"

My voice cut out as a flash of pain blinded me. My hands clutched my temples, trying to hold my brains together as my head was slowly liquefied. The taste of copper filled my mouth as I bit my tongue to keep from screaming. It was like someone had taken a drill right to my forehead. After several seconds of agony, the pain abated, leaving behind only a dull ache.

Wrenching open my eyes, I was met with three half-bloods staring at me with similar masks of horror. Piper blinked. "Annabeth… what was _that_?" She asked shakily.

Rubbing my forehead softly to soothe the ache, I shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Does that happen often?" The Roman asked, his face worried.

"No," I answered truthfully. "It started a couple weeks after Percy disappeared."

Leo's eyes crinkled. A spark of fire flickered in his hair. "Hey, maybe you _did_ get a godly power from your mom after all?"

We all looked at him in confusion.

"You know. Get a migraine and—_poof_—out pops a baby?"

I shook my head. "No child of Athena has had that power before."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but you already did what no other child of Athena has done: you rescued her statue. It wouldn't surprise me if you also managed to do the impossible once again."

Deep down, I could see the sense in his words. What he said sounded so impossible, and yet there was also a tiny, tiny chance that he was right. I'd spent so much time thinking about my missing boyfriend, that it wouldn't surprise me if my thoughts turned into a corporal being. Percy had unlocked unbelievable power down in Tartarus; what if I had as well? The idea was so undeniably _crazy_, but also slightly plausible.

But that was deep down. On the outside, I scoffed at him. "Thanks for the praise, but I don't think that's my problem. It's probably just stress."

"Are you sure? I could always take an ax to your head, just in case." The son of Hephaestus wagged his eyebrows.

"As tantalizing as that offer is, I'm going to have to decline."

Piper and Jason still looked concerned for my safety. I sighed. "I'm fine guys, really."

Jason nodded uncertainly. "Well, we should try to sleep. We'll need it for tomorrow."

The rest of us agreed. I felt even more worn out than before. It was almost as if that migraine attack had sucked up all my energy. I moved to a cobweb-free corner next to a stone statue of an elderly woman. Using my backpack as a pillow and my coat as a blanket, I quickly fell into Hypnos's waiting arms.

* * *

**The sound of hissing woke me** from my nightmare. Instantly, my hand was grabbing my sword and I scrambled to my feet. Morning light shone through the dirty windows, casting the room in a yellow light. Piper was already conscious, hurrying to my side. On the opposite end of the room, Jason nudged Leo awake.

"Did you hear that, too?" The daughter of Aphrodite whispered.

I nodded, putting a finger to my lips to quiet her. My ears strained to catch the noise again. Seconds passed in thick silence before the hissing was heard again. It came from the kitchen. Where we hadn't checked for monsters yet.

Damn it.

Before I could tell the boys to get away from the counter, two beasts rolled out from behind it. They looked like scaly tractor tires. Leo yelped in surprise, and him and Jason jumped out of their way. The monsters stopped in the middle of the room, separating Piper and I from the guys. Before my eyes, the monster-tires broke apart to form two serpentine creatures. They had a head on each end, like that old cartoon my twin brothers watched called CatDog. Each monster had eight centipede-like legs. Their tongues flickered at us as if trying to see what we'd taste like.

"What the Hades are these things?" Leo asked, horrified. One of the heads turned to him and hissed like it was offended.

The answer popped into my head. "They're _amphisbaenae_. They are said to have grown from Medusa's blood touching the sand after Perseus beheaded her."

The _amphisbaenae_ hissed again, tired of waiting. One of them scurried toward Piper and me, scarily fast on those insectile feet. It dragged the rear head behind itself like a tail. The forward-facing head glared at us with orange slitted eyes. I gripped the hilt of my bone sword tighter, prepared to stab at it, when it suddenly opened its mouth.

My eyes widened. "Move!" I shouted to Piper, shoving her to one side while diving to the other. Not a second later, venom squirted passed where we were previously standing. When it touched the floor, the tiles sizzled and melted.

"Watch out for the venom!" I called out to the boys.

"We got that already!" Leo yelled back. Risking a glance in their direction, I noticed that Jason's coat was discarded on the floor, smoke rising from it.

Piper and I quickly got back to our feet. Katropsis glittered in her hand. The charmspeaker focused her attention once again on the _amphisbaena_. "Wow, you are truly terrifying. I mean, two heads? That's impressive."

As the brunette layered on her charmspeak, the serpent paused, confused. Piper smiled sweetly at it. "It must get annoying, though. One of your heads is always forced in the back! What kind of head would what to be reduced to a _tail_?" She shivered for effect, twisting her face as if the very thought disgusted her.

The rear snake head seemed to agree with her sentiment. It hissed at the forward-facing head. The forward-facing head was not having it, however. It snapped at its other head like an Alpha wolf putting its Beta back in its rightful place. The tail-head wasn't feeling very submissive, though. It bared its fangs at the other head, lunging for it.

While the creature was distracted with fighting itself, I cleaved my sword straight through its middle. The monster collapsed into two separate halves. "Nice job, Piper." I complimented her.

"All in a day's work," she replied.

Right as we started over to help the guys, however, the halves started moving. Right before our eyes, the two halves grew another set of heads. Piper and I took a step back as the two new _amphisbaenae_ approached.

"They're like the Hydra," I said, "They just reform."

Piper nodded. "Jason, Leo!" She called out. "Don't cut off their heads! They duplicate!"

Leo let out a whoop. "You know what that means? Time to light these guys up!"

The Latino threw a large ball of fire at the monster bent on killing him and Jason, put the flames just bounced off its scales. "Um, Plan B isn't working out too well."

"You have to cut them in half before you use your fire." I told him.

"What? But you just said _not_ to do that!"

"The fire will cauterize the wound, making it impossible for them to reform and ultimately killing them."

"Okay, that makes sense." Leo replied. He and Jason then continued to attempt to cut off the creature's head while not getting poisoned.

Refocusing my attention on my own fight, I glanced sideways at Piper. "You get that one, and I get this one?"

"Sounds perfect." Piper smirked, dashing toward her own _amphisbaena_.

Instead of immediately rushing me, the two-headed serpent curved into a ball. One of its heads put the other in its mouth, so that it resembled a tractor tire again. It rolled toward me with the speed of a sports car. Caught off guard at its sudden speed, I barely had time to spin out of the way. The _amphisbaena_ quickly corrected its course, coming at me head on. I swung my ivory sword at the tire-snake, but it seemed to sense my weapon. Right before the blade hit, the monster let go of itself to spit acid in my direction. I ducked under the spray of deadly fluid, the venom nearly singing the tips of my hair.

Not missing a beat, the monster scampered toward me on its eight legs. Seeing that I was now backed up against the counter, I hurriedly slid over top of it, landing on the other side. The _amphisbaena_ hissed in frustration, running around the counter to get to me. I backed up into the kitchen, giving myself more room to move around. The scaly beast followed, throwing itself through the doorway. Not wanting to take my eyes off the creature, I inched backwards blindly. That turned out to be a mistake when my bad ankle tripped over a spear that a monster must have left from the Titan army. My arms flailed as I fell backward, my sword flying out of my grip. Seeing its chance, the _amphisbaena_ lunged at me.

My hand scrambled for the spear I'd tripped over. My fingers clutched around the handle, and I swiped up with all my strength.

_Shink_.

The celestial bronze blade sliced cleanly through the creature's abdomen, its two heads falling on either side of me. I hurried to my feet, yelling over to Leo. "Hey, I need some fire over here!"

"A little busy at the moment!" Came Leo's strained reply. Jason and Leo had taken down their _amphisbaena_, and were helping Piper with hers.

"Great," I muttered to myself. How was I going to cauterize the wounds now? If I didn't act soon, I'd have to deal with two angry _amphisbaenae_. Quickly searching around the kitchen, I found my solution. Grabbing the two ends of the monster, I tossed them onto the stove. Praying to all the gods on Olympus that the stove still had gas in it, I twisted the nobs. Four blue flames shot out of the burners. The _amphisbaena_ was turned to dust in a matter of seconds.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I switched off the stove. I retrieved my bone sword from the ground, safely sheathing it at my waist before leaving the kitchen. Out in the main room, Leo was just finishing burning the last _amphisbaena_ stump. As it dissolved into dust, it left behind a vile of black liquid.

Piper wrinkled her nose, pushing the hair that had fallen from her braid out of her face. "Ugh, what is it stuff? It looks like tar."

I rejoined the little group of half-bloods. "It is _amphisbaena_'s blood. You can use it to reattach a person's severed limb."

"Ooh, that'll definitely come in handy." Leo quipped, snatching the vial from the ground and placing it in his tool belt.

Jason turned to me. "I thought you said that this place would be empty of monsters."

"I told you that _amphisbaenae_ had come from Medusa's blood touching the sand, right? These monsters probably spawned from when Percy cut off her head here and her blood touched the dirt."

He nodded, his curiosity sated.

Piper sighed. "Well, that was a great wake up call. Have we figured out how we're going to get to California? I could always just steal a car from someone, but I'd prefer not to resort to that."

Leo's hand shot into the air. "I actually remembered something."

We all looked at him to continue.

His hand disappeared into his tool belt once again, this time coming out with a bronze cube the size of a softball. "When Annabeth came to get me, I was experimenting with the Archimedes spheres and finally managed to crack the code behind the magical compacter. It's how this thing can hold so much stuff, kinda like a bottomless pit." He patted the belt around his waist lovingly. "Anyway, I wanted to take Festus's suitcase-mode one step further, so that it would be easier to carry around with me."

Jason stared at his friend. "Leo, are you saying that that cube is…"

Leo grinned. "Follow me, young grasshoppers."

The son of Hephaestus led us out of Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium. After fiddling around with the metal cube for a few seconds, he tossed it onto the ground. The cube expanded, and expanded, and expanded until a giant bronze dragon was front in front of us. We gaped at it as Leo hugged its thick leg. "That's a good boy, Festus." The dragon creaked and whirled in response.

Once the awe faded, anger took its place. "Leo, why are you showing us this _now_ and not last night?" I growled out.

Leo gulped. "Um… I forgot?"

As I seethed, Leo's face got more and more frightened. He hid behind the leg of his dragon. Taking a few deep breaths, I forced myself to calm down so that I didn't strangle him. It was no use getting mad at him now. What was done was done. At least now we had a ride. "Let's just all get on, okay? The sun isn't going to wait for us."

Relieved, Leo scrambled up onto Festus. I sat behind him, with Piper behind me and Jason last.

"Onward, Festus!" Leo cried. Festus groaned, his wings unfolding on either side of him like sails. The dragon took to the sky, following the path of the sun as if he was Hati chasing Sol.

* * *

Third Person

**The exact moment Samuel Franklin realized** that he wanted to cure the world of disease was when he was eight-years-old and his little sister died from SCID. At that moment, he made a promise to himself that he would devote his life to curing people's sick jeans. A couple years down the line, he learned that it hadn't actually been his sister's jeans that killed her, rather her _genes_. He had to adjust his goal just a bit.

Sam, as he liked to be called, graduated from his high school as Salutatorian. He went on to college, where he earned a doctorate in genetics. Because of his high scores, a company called Itex offered him an internship at their branch in Florida. Franklin readily accepted, eager to begin his career at such an esteemed company right out of school. He climbed the ranks there for five years, working with genetics and eventually becoming the Head Genetic Scientist's assistant.

However, a couple months ago he was offered another job. It was from the same company, but they wanted him to move to a new branch over in Death Valley. It was a top secret laboratory, reminding him of Area 51. The scientists in his building would share conspiracy theories about what exactly went on in it, which ranged from the plausible (Stacey hypothesized that it was researching a cure to schizophrenia) to the ludicrous (Tony was convinced that it housed Bigfoot). The only piece of information that was known to the rest of Itex workers was the building's name: the _Technical Institute for Tachytelic Aberrations and Neomorphs_.

Obviously, Sam took the job. He'd be insane not to. He had spent his whole life wanting to find a cure for genetic mutations, and if the name of the place was anything to go by, then that would be exactly what he'd be doing. So, he said farewell to his friends and family, packed his bags, and moved to California.

TITAN was definitely not what he'd expected. The building was strange, built like an oddly-shaped 'M'. Looking at it, Sam's first thought was that it looked like a white-washed prison. That opinion didn't change as he entered the place. Everything inside was grayscale, either white or gray. He stood out like a sore thumb with his colored skin. Even the other scientists were washed out. Their faces resembled hard stone, and their eyes were dull. Even though the building was dreary and the people all had sticks shoved up their asses, Samuel Franklin signed his name on the secrecy contract. He told himself that he was doing it for his little sister. That didn't stop him from feeling like he had just signed his soul to the devil.

Dr. Franklin quickly figured out why the people were stone-faced and why TITAN was so top secret. It was because TITAN performed illegal human experimentation. They combined animal genes with human ones, creating real-life Chimeras. The purpose behind it was to eradicate the bad DNA from humans by replacing it with more efficient animal DNA. For example, starfish DNA could be used to help amputees regrow their limbs. The certain branch Sam worked for dealt with a more specific problem. It was a very rare genetic mutation that appeared in only a handful of children where one half of their DNA helix was deleted. To fix the problem, the scientists attempted to merge an animal's DNA with the human one to fill in the missing half. They had tried many different species of animals so far. Only the avian DNA had worked.

Sam's job in all of that was to create the serum of animal genes that the doctors would then use on the affected humans. Because of that, he had very little interaction with the human subjects. The only information he received on them were their survival status, and if his serums proved to be successful. Sam liked it like that. If he were to have any interaction with the subjects, he'd end up getting attached. It was better that way.

That was why it came as a shock to him when he was informed of the escape of Subject 17, the avian-human hybrid, and how it had killed Dr. Barrett as it was fleeing. Though he was angered at the experiment's escape, he was even more angered by its killing of Dr. Barrett. Sam had spoken to the doctor on occasion, and he had been a nice man. The news of his death left a bad feeling in Sam's gut. Once again, he questioned the humanity of locking up human beings for the sake of science, before squashing that thought quickly. He was doing this for the future generations, so that they could live in a world without genetic diseases.

He kept repeating that statement over and over in his head as he made his way to Dr. Lavelle's office. Franklin had just completed the arachnid serum and wanted to clear it with his boss before handing it over to his assistant. In one hand he held the papers documenting its exact chemical formula, and in the other he held the vial containing a small sample of the violet liquid. As he approached Mette's office, he made sure to quiet his footsteps. She did not take well to interruptions, he knew.

When he finally reached the office, he came to a stop. The door was slightly ajar, and from inside, he could hear two voices. One Sam recognized as Dr. Lavelle's, but the other was indistinguishable. He held his breath, contemplating on leaving, as the voices continued to speak.

"… has escaped, my Lady. Maximum Ride was behind it. He's in her custody now," said Dr. Lavelle. Sam had never heard his boss sound so humble before. Usually she talked down to everyone.

"All goes according to plan, Margaretta," responded the other voice. It was one of those voices that kept you guessing on what gender the person was and how old they were. "Have you been in contact with our deceitful little spirit?"

"Yes, my Lady. He informed me that the half-breeds are on the move."

"Ah, so the wheel is now in motion."

"Very much so," confirmed Dr. Lavelle. "However, mind I ask how we will retrieve the sea spawn once again? Maximum will not give him up easily, and if Mnemosyne's spell happens to break…"

"Do not fret. All armor has a weak spot; the same goes for heroes. If you know exactly which buttons to press, then he will do whatever you please."

The conversation was confusing to Sam, who continued to listen through the doorway. They talked about deceitful spirits, half-breeds, sea spawns, and someone named Maximum Ride. Had his boss finally had a mental breakdown? Was she tripping on acid? Or maybe they were speaking in some type of code in case people like him came snooping around. Either way, his curiosity got the better of him. He carefully peeked through the slit in the doorway, looking into the room.

The scene in front of him was so unreal that it took a few seconds to process. Sam's boss was sitting at her desk, speaking to a floating rainbow. And if that wasn't crazy enough, the rainbow was actually _talking back_. The vial slipped through his numb fingers, shattering all over the floor. At the sound of it, Mette immediately whipped her head toward him. Samuel still had yet to move, his body frozen in shock.

Dr. Lavelle's charcoal eyes burned into his. "I sincerely wish you hadn't just seen that."

Sam gulped. Before he could even think of forming a reply, Mette pulled out a gun and fired it. Pain exploded everywhere.

And then…

black.

Samuel Franklin realized that he wanted to cure the world of disease when he was eight-years-old. And at age thirty-two, he realized that he would never get to live out that dream.

* * *

**A/N: So, chapter four is complete. How did you like the _amphisbaenae_? After reading that they came from Perseus cutting off Medusa's head, I couldn't _not_ put them in my story. Also, what are your thoughts on Annabeth's headaches? Will we see a Percabeth baby soon? Just a little TMI fact: my original plan for Annabeth killing her _amphisbaena_ was her putting the ends into a blender, but I had to scrap that after I remembered mortal steel doesn't harm monsters (plus, ew). But then I remembered that most old kitchens had gas stoves, so everything worked well in the end. In case Annabeth's last sentence confused you, Hati and Sol are from Norse mythology. Hati is a wolf that will devour the sun (aka, Sol) at Ragnarok. I have yet to read Sword of Summer, so I don't know if this fic would line up with it. I think takes place in the winter? Idk. If you want to squeeze that book in right before Percy's capture, be my guest, but I probably won't be alluding to it (at least not until I actually read the thing).**

**Also, what did you think about the third person POV? At first I was going to do it in Mette's point of view, but then I thought about what a whitecoat would think of it, and it just kind of blossomed from there. It gives a little humanity back to the whitecoats, showing that not _all_ of them are heartless dicks. In case you forgot, the ****_Technical Institute for Tachytelic Aberrations and Neomorphs_ basically means is the 'Scientific Institute for Evolutionary Anomalies and Mutations'. **

**Oh, and if any of you guys are interested, I created another story. It's called _Making Fools of Us_. If you like Percy Jackson and time travel (like moi), then be sure to check it out!**

**Stay classy,**

**~Wrendsor**


	28. B2: Chapter V

**A/N: 'Sup, guys? I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving (or random Thursday, if you're not American)! In an effort to procrastinate doing my piles of homework, I wrote another chapter. Enjoy :)**

**DISCLAIMER: Honestly, I have no idea why I continue to do these every fifth chapter. I think you guys get the drift that I'm not a best-selling author by now.**

* * *

Perseus

**Honestly, I didn't know** what to make of the 'outside world'. So far, I had just woken up from a coma and gotten football tackled by a teenage girl. Not off to such a great start. The only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to get out of this damn lab because no way in hell was I gonna stay in another lab when I had just gotten out of the last one.

Max must have picked up on my thoughts (or maybe she noticed the way I'd been flickering my eyes to the door every two seconds). She looked me up and down. "Mom, I'm going to show Percy around the house, 'kay?"

Dr. Martinez's eyebrows pinched together. "I don't think that would be wise, Max. He just woke from a coma, and he shouldn't be walking around. It might impede the healing process."

"I'm fine, really." I assured her. "I've had worse."

That didn't seem to comfort the doctor.

The girl wasn't backing down, however. "C'mon, Mom. How many times have I told you that we heal faster than normal? Plus, we could probably stop for some clothes on the way—he looks terrible. I bet Fang's stuff would fit."

Looking down at myself for the first time, I realized that she was right. My shirt was off, but every inch of my chest and most of my arms were covered in fresh gauze. I was still wearing the pants from the School. The gray fabric was worn down, roughed up, and bled on. From what I could feel, my wings were also bandaged and strapped against my back, probably so that they could heal properly without me moving them. With the pain medicine wearing off, I was starting to feel the extent of my injuries, but I didn't really want to bring that up now.

After another minute of convincing Dr. Martinez and giving her puppy eyes, she finally gave in. "Fine. You two may leave for now, but Percy must come back after dinner so I can check on him."

"Deal." Max agreed. Then, she grabbed my wrist and tugged me out of the laboratory. When the door closed shut behind me, she let out a sigh, dropping my arm. "Finally. I hate being in there."

"Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "I think you know."

_The smell of chemicals is so strong it's as if I'm inhaling a poisonous cloud. The cuffs chafe my wrists and ankles, but that doesn't stop me from trying to get free (if anything, it makes me struggle harder. I can't be contained—I won't). The whitecoats buzz around me, like worker bees under their queen. The metal equipment glints under the harsh fluorescent lights. A sense of dread settles in my stomach as I take in all the syringes, the scalpels, the forceps, the drills, the chisels…_

My fingernails dug into the palms of my hands, grounding myself back into reality. Max watched me silently. Her eyes weren't filled with the pity I expected to find. Instead, they communicated some sort of silent understanding.

She cleared her throat. "Anyway, let's get this tour started."

I nodded, following after her as she walked through the beige-colored hallway. Looking at the plain walls, I had to fight a smile from creeping onto my face. For the first time I could remember, the walls were painted something other than white. It was such a stupid, little thing—I mean, beige wasn't exactly the most exciting color out there—but for me, it was huge. The School had been filled with only white and gray, as if all the life had been sucked out of it. Even seeing such a drab color as beige made it feel like life was finally being restored to me.

"This place is a safe house in Utah," Max started.

"A safe house?"

"Yeah. It's in a really secluded area in the mountains. It keeps us safe from Erasers and such," she explained.

"Oh."

Max continued. "There are eight stories in this building. The first floor is basically just for storage, and the second is where the main living space is. The third, fourth and fifth floors are the sleeping quarters. The sixth floor and the seventh floor—that's the one we're on now—are the labs. The top floor is the hangar."

When we reached the last door in the hall, the brunette shouldered it open to reveal a stairway. As she led me down the stairs, I tapped my fingers on the railing, nerves eating me alive. We passed the door labelled six, much to my relief. The next door we came to—door number five—Max pushed open.

"The flock and I have unofficially claimed this floor as ours."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Um, you and the what?" I tried to imagine the intense girl in front of me chilling with a bunch of pet parrots, but that picture just didn't work.

"Me and five other kids escaped from the School together. We call ourselves 'the flock'. They helped me bust you out," she said.

"Well, I guess I owe them a thank you, then."

"You can tell them when you meet them," she shrugged. "They've been bouncing off the walls waiting for you to wake up."

We began walking through the hallway. Max pointed to a few doors as we passed. "That one is mine, and the one across from it is Angel's. Nudge's is right next to Angel's, and then two doors down is Gazzy's. Across from his is Iggy's. The last one on the right is Fang's."

"You guys have, er, _unique_ names," I told her.

The teen snorted. "That's because we picked them out ourselves. It's not like the whitecoats would've given us one."

"True," I conceded.

She rapped her fist on the Fang guy's door before barging in. Entering behind her, I spotted a boy around sixteen lying on the bed playing with a pocketknife. The kid was basically the posterchild for goths. He had raven-colored hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. He wore black everything: black jeans, black shirt, black jacket, black boots. The name 'Fang' made a lot more sense now.

When the guy finally noticed me, he slipped his small knife in his pocket, sitting up. "When did he wake up?"

"A couple minutes ago," Max replied. "Fang, meet Percy. Percy, meet Fang."

I waved at the dude, but he just narrowed his eyes at me.

Max shoved Fang in the shoulder. "Stop glaring at him."

"How do we know the whitecoats haven't gotten to him?" He cocked an eyebrow.

She huffed, rolling her eyes. "I doubt we would've found him in the condition we had if he was on their side."

The goth-kid still looked a little suspicious, but he peeled his eyes from me. "What did you need, Max?"

"Can Percy borrow your clothes? He's about your size."

Fang looked like he'd rather wear neon for the rest of the week than lend me his clothes, but he sighed. "Fine."

Max planted a swift kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Fang."

_So_, I thought to myself. _Max and Fang are a thing. Duly noted_.

Fang hummed in his throat before resuming his previous activity of twirling his pocketknife. Max shuffled through his dresser for a few minutes, handing me a pile of—surprise!—more black clothes. "Pick an empty room to get settled in. There's a bathroom in all of them that you can use to get cleaned up," she said. "Dinner's in half an hour, so you can meet us all on the second floor after you're done."

Before I could reply, she pushed me out of the room and slammed the door in my face. I blinked. "_O_-kay."

Spinning around on my heel, I chose the room diagonal from Fang's. It looked exactly like Fang's had. The walls were painted a light blue, and a twin bed and dresser were nestled in the corner. There was a noticeable lack of windows, which made me wonder if that was to keep us _in_, or keep other things _out_.

Like Max had said, there was a bathroom connected to the bedroom. Just the very thought of showering was enough to spur my feet into action. The whitecoats hadn't exactly cared about my hygiene, so the only baths I received were limited to tests that ended in a near drowning. The tiled floor felt cold as I stepped into the restroom. I flipped the light switch on and found myself staring at… myself.

It shouldn't shock someone to look at themselves in the mirror. However, I couldn't remember anything up until around a month or so ago, and I had been in the School ever since then. Since the School didn't have any excess mirrors lying around anywhere, I had never actually seen what my face looked like. Until now, that is.

It was like déjà vu, but not really. I knew I was supposed to remember what I looked like, but there was an empty space where the memory was supposed to be. It was like looking at a stranger. A stranger who looked like crap.

Compared to the healthy kids I'd just met, I looked like a famine victim. My cheeks and eyes were sunken in, and I could see the bones poking at my skin through the bandages. My hair was shaggy, matted, and sticking up everywhere. I'd probably need at least three bottles of soap to scrub the dirt from my face.

I turned the water on in the shower before debating on whether or not to remove the bandages from my torso. Were stitches allowed to get wet? Deciding that I didn't want to risk it, I left the bandages on, shucking off my pants and stepping under the warm stream.

The water felt like bliss on my aching body. It was as if all my aches and pains were being washed down the drain with the dirt. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to untangle it, when I paused. Something felt… off. Then I realized what was wrong: I was completely dry.

"What the…" I muttered, staring at my arm under the shower spray. As the water touched my skin, it just slipped off, as if I was protected by a force field.

I scrambled back, nearly slipping on the shower tiles. Now _that _was a new development. I definitely would've noticed if I'd suddenly become water-resistant during one of the many water-based experiments.

Slowly, I stretched my arm out back under the stream, but again the water dodged me like I had cooties. Closing my eyes, I imagined myself getting wet. There was a weird tingling in the pit of my stomach, and when I opened my eyes again, my arm was drenched. My eyebrows creased. So, now on top of having wings, I was also water-resistant? How had the whitecoats managed _that_ one?

Sighing, I moved back under the spray of water. After a few minutes, though, panic started seeping into my mind. The feeling of water all around me was overwhelming. My lungs struggled to suck in air. I was suddenly drowning again, choking on water and my own desperation. After hurriedly scrubbing the dirt off my skin, I scrambled out of the shower. My arms and legs shook as I dried myself off with the towel set out for me.

Once I tugged on the fresh clothing, I took a few calming breaths. God, I felt so stupid—so _weak_. Who was afraid of taking a damn _shower_ for God's sake? I smoothed my hair down, trying to make it look like I hadn't just had a freak out. The dark clothes were baggy. My wings helped to fill out the shirt a bit, because they were still strapped against my back, but there was nothing I could do for the jeans. It was a good thing Max had thought to give me a belt, or the pants would be around my ankles. The only thing that fit me perfectly were the old, ratty pair of combat boots.

Deciding that my hair was a lost cause, I finally exited the bathroom. I left my new room, making my way down to the second floor. Max had said that the others were going to be there, so I was nervous. My fingers couldn't stop twitching, fiddling with one of the holes in my pant leg. Were they all like Fang, who looked as if he was mentally stabbing me every time he glanced in my direction? If so, I'd like a refund. But, maybe the goth-kid wasn't _so_ bad once you got to know him. I mean, the first thing Max did was violently tackle me to the ground, but she turned out alright.

Taking a deep breath, I walked into the living room. At first glance, it appeared very homey. There was a comfy-looking couch and a warm fire blazing in the fireplace set in a stone wall. My gaze drifted over the kitchen, finally landing on the dining room. Sitting around the long table were six kids—two of which I recognized as Max and Fang—eating an entire feast. They definitely weren't worried about their calorie intake. Even the youngest, a little girl, had her plate covered with a heaping pile of fries. The blond boy next to her had his stacked in a Leaning Tower of Pizza.

"Incomer at ten o'clock," the pale teenager said without looking up.

At his announcement, five heads were simultaneously whipped in my direction.

I shuffled on my feet. "Um, hi?"

The girl with crazy curly hair threw me a wide smile. "Oh my goodness, you're awake! Max, why didn't you tell us? Aren't those Fang's clothes? Wait, what am I saying? Of course they're Fang's. You obviously don't have any of your own. _Ooh_, you're eyes are so pretty! Honestly, consciousness looks good on you; it was so tiring dragging you around—not that I think you're fat or anything-"

"Slow down, Nudge. You're gonna kill the guy." The guy who ratted me out remarked.

The girl—Nudge, I now realized—punched him in the shoulder.

"So," Max said around a bite of hamburger, "are you gonna join us or just stand there awkwardly?"

I took the empty seat next to the eight-year-old. She cocked her head, her blue-eyes squinting at me like she needed glasses.

The boy on her other side stretched his hand out to me, accidently knocking over his Leaning Tower of Pizza. "I'm the Gasman. Nice to meetcha."

My eyebrows kneaded together. "Uh, why's your name-"

"Don't ask," Fang interrupted.

"Alright," I muttered, shaking the kid's hand. "My name's Percy."

"Cool," he said before pointing to the girl between us who had yet to look away from me (it was getting weird at this point). "That's my sister, Angel."

I nodded, glancing at the last unnamed person. When he didn't immediately respond, I spoke up. "So, does that make you…" I struggled to remember the names Max had listed off a while ago, "Iggy?"

"Yep, that would be me," he replied. The strawberry-blond-haired teen snatched a slice of pizza from the fallen tower. He took a large bite, only to immediately spit it back out. "Ugh, gross, Gaz. Why are there _pickles_ on this thing?"

The Gasman shrugged. "I'd say don't knock it 'til you try it, but you know."

Iggy pulled a disgusted face, reaching for the food on his own plate.

My mouth watered as I gazed at the platters of food covering the table. The meal consisted of hamburgers, pizza, and French fries. It definitely beat out the School's slop of sludge and moldy bread. I grabbed some of everything.

As I was halfway through my cheeseburger, Angel finally spoke up for the first time. "You shouldn't do that."

Because I was practically in heaven from how amazing actual food tasted, I didn't understand what she meant. "Hm?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"You probably shouldn't eat too much. Your stomach isn't ready for that. When was the last time you ate something other than the stuff the whitecoats gave you?"

I frowned, swallowing the large bite of burger. "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?" Max asked, setting her own cheeseburger down on her plate.

"I don't remember anything before a month ago," I answered.

The look Fang gave told me he didn't believe me for a second. "You have amnesia. Seriously?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that's what you call losing all your memories, so yeah."

The kids digested this new information.

"What if Percy didn't lose his memories? What if he's, like, a clone or something? We've met a clone of Max, so it's not like it would be a new thing. Plus, that'd explain the no-memories situation." Nudge suggested.

"Hey," I protested. "I'm _not_ a clone."

"And how would you know that, Mr. Amnesiac?" asked Iggy.

"I just… I just know, okay? It's not like I was born a month ago; I get random flashes of things here and there."

"Like what?" Max prodded.

"I don't know—they fade away right after, but I know they're there. It's like there's a dam in my head holding back my memories," I explained.

"…That makes a lot of sense now," Angel murmured.

"Care to elaborate, Ange?" the brunette asked.

The eight-year-old sucked in a breath. "Remember back in the cave when he had a nightmare? I tried to enter his mind and—"

"You what?!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, I can read minds." She said it so flippantly, like '_oh yeah, I have a pet dog and my favorite color is yellow; did I mention that I can dig through all your deepest thoughts and desires?_' "Anyway, it was like something was blocking me from entering. When I finally slipped through a crack, it was like everything had been thrown at me at once."

Max nodded. "Yeah. You were muttering about what you saw—blood and monsters, or something like that."

Angel gulped, her voice suddenly shaky. "Uh huh. It was a really, really bad place. The sky was like blood, and there were gigantic bat-things everywhere." She sniffled, turning her watery eyes to me. "Maybe the person blocked your mind off to protect you from that place."

I bit my lip, wondering what place she could be talking about and how I had gotten there. Her explanation didn't really seem correct, though. It was as if there was a little voice in the back of my head screaming at me that something was wrong. "Maybe," I told her.

"Woah, what's that?" The Gasman gasped, pointing at my arm.

Confusedly, I glanced down. In stark contrast to the white bandages wrapped around my arm, the tip of a black marking peaked through. Carefully pulling the gauze back, I revealed the strange tattoo. It was the letters SPQR with a fork thing and a line beneath.

The six kids crowded around my arm, looking at the weird markings.

Gazzy poked it with his finger. "You gotta tattoo? Wicked! Max, can I have one?"

"No, definitely not," Max chided.

"It looks like it was burned into your skin." Nudge bit her lip.

Phantom pain flashed through my forearm. I winced. "It was."

"Did the whitecoats do this?" Max questioned.

"No," I frowned. "Well, I'm not sure. It's been on my arm since before I can remember."

"Do you know what SPQR means?" The sudden male voice made everyone jump. My eyes flickered to the guy standing behind the empty chair at the head of the table. He sat down.

"Who are you?" I asked, my heartbeat skyrocketing. My stomach rolled, threatening to throw up the half of my burger. He was wearing a lab coat.

"Jeb Batchelder," he replied. "I'm a scientist."

"Yeah, that part's pretty obvious," I muttered. My hands clenched into fists to keep from shaking, my knee bobbing under the table.

"SPQR is a roman phrase. It means _Senatus Populusque Romanus_-"

"The Senate and People of Rome." The words automatically translated in my head.

Science Guy looked impressed. "Correct. Now, why that phrase is burned into your arm..."

During our entire exchange, Max had been glaring at the dude with untrusting eyes. "What are you doing down here, Jeb?"

The man's blue eyes glanced in Max's direction. "I wanted to speak with the boy."

"Why?" She tried to hold in her anger, but it seeped into her voice.

"Maximum, be reasonable," he said. "Thanks to the unfortunate death of my informant, he is the only person who has any info."

Max's face tightened at the mention of the informant's death, but she didn't back down. "What about those files Nudge sent? Just use those."

"The files still need to be decoded. Plus, we could use all the information we can get on TITAN."

Suddenly, images flashed through my head. A huge guy on fire, a silver Einstein janitor, a scarred face with golden eyes. They vanished right when I tried to reach for them. Before Max could respond, I butted in. "What's TITAN?"

"TITAN is an acronym that stands for the _Technical Institute for Tach_-"

"It's the name of the School we found you in," Max interrupted.

I nodded. "So, uh, why do you need info on that place?"

"I'm working with a group of scientists to take down the corporation behind TITAN. Dr. Martinez, who I assume you met upstairs, is helping as well," he answered.

I swallowed thickly. "I guess I'll tell you as much as I can. I don't know if I'll be a great help, though…"

"You don't have to, Percy," Angel stated.

"Yeah, I bet the files that I collected will be enough," Nudge agreed.

I shook my head. "If I can help take down the whitecoats, then that's what I'm gonna do."

The flock looked shocked at my announcement. To be honest, I was shocked too. No way did I want to delve into my experience at that TITAN place. But like I said, if it meant saving the other kids trapped in the School, I'd be willing to do anything.

"Thank you, Percy," Jeb nodded at me. "So, you are two percent avian, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Other than wings, do you have any other mutations?"

"Other mutations?"

"Additional abilities which distance you from a normal human," he explained.

"Erm, well, when I was taking a shower, the water didn't touch me at first. It was like there was a force field around me."

"Has that ever happened before?" Jeb asked.

"_Definitely_ not."

"That's normal, though," said Max. "We usually get mutations randomly. We're not sure whether they're preprogramed into us or if we mutate on our own."

"What mutations do you guys have?" I asked, curious.

"We're all avian-hybrids, like you. Some of us have more mutations in our arsenal as well, like Angel and her mind reading," Max replied.

"You all have wings, too?" My eyebrows rose.

"Yep!" Gazzy exclaimed. He stood up on his chair and shook off his jacket. Out popped two tawny-feathered bird wings behind his back.

I blinked in surprise. It was the first time I ever saw another bird-kid besides me. That was probably where the name 'the flock' came from, I realized.

"So," Jeb continued, "you're water resistant?"

"Mhmm." And that was perfectly fine with me. After nearly drowning so many times, I wasn't a big fan of water.

"Do you have any other mutations?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"What do you know about a woman named Margaretta Lavelle?"

All my muscles tensed at the sound of Dr. Loco's name. "Well, she's crazy for one thing."

Jeb sighed. "Any pertinent information?"

"She's good with a knife?"

"Moving on," Batchelder clenched his jaw. "Were there any other kids with you in TITAN?"

My wings fidgeted against the bandages. A wave of queasiness rushed over me. "Yeah." My voice was small.

"Were there any qualities that you all shared? Did the whitecoats mention any pre-existing anomaly you all had before your DNA was spliced?"

I thought back to the three other mutants I had known during my time at the School: Ramana, Rocco, and the unnamed boy. We didn't share anything in common that I knew of. I shook my head.

"Was there a certain test that they gave you more than others?" he pushed.

I squirmed in my chair. In the distance, I could hear the rushing of the waterfall as it gushed from the ceiling. The salt stung as it lapped at open wounds. The liquid moved passed my waist, my chest, my neck, my head…

"Stop, Jeb. Look at what you're doing!" Max's voice brought me out of my haze.

"I thought you wanted me to save those kids in the School, Max," replied Dr. Batchelder.

Max snorted. "Like you even care about them."

"We need to stop Itex. What you did last year only put them on hold. To do that, we need to know what we're up against."

"But Percy doesn't know anything! He's just a victim of their stupid experiments! He's in the dark here as much as we are."

"Maximum-"

"No, end of discussion," Max growled. She turned to the youngest two flock members. "Gazzy, Angel, will you please escort our new friend up to the seventh floor? Mom needs to give him a checkup."

Gazzy saluted. "Aye, aye, Captain Max."

My appetite completely gone, I followed after the siblings. As soon as we started up the stairs, the girl turned to me. "Sorry about Jeb. He can be a little... intense at times."

"Plus, he's a butt-head," Gazzy added. He cleared his throat, straightening his shoulders. "D_on't go save the poor defenseless kids at the School, I need to do research_!" Even though it was Gazzy who spoke, Jeb's voice came out.

Angel giggled at him.

"Impressive," My eyebrows rose. "You got him dead on."

"It's a talent of mine," the Gasman smirked. "I can mimic sounds."

"That's cool."

Angel huffed. "It's not so cool when he wakes you up with fire alarms in the middle of the night."

Gazzy exploded into laughter. "That was hilarious! You guys should've seen yourselves bolting out of the house."

The blonde girl shoved her brother into the railing. "Don't make me force you to do the chicken dance in your underwear again."

I laughed, despite Gazzy's insistence that it never happened. All too soon, we reached door seven. We came to a stop.

"It's like the gate to Oz," Angel murmured.

"Except with no Emerald City behind it," I said, glaring at the black number seven painted on the door.

"Too bad we don't have Total to be our Toto," Gazzy remarked, leaving me wondering who Total was.

"I call being Dorothy!" The eight-year-old smiled.

"And Percy can be the scarecrow 'cause he lost his brains," added the Gasman. I tried to not be offended by that.

"So that makes you the cowardly lion," Angel told her brother.

"Hey!" Gazzy protested. "I'm definitely Tin Man material."

"Well," I muttered, pushing open the door. "I guess we're off to see the wizard."

* * *

**A/N: Writing this chapter was hard, because there was so much dialogue and introductions. I hope it was still good, though, and everyone was in character (if not, please tell me). Percy's a wreck right now, I know. But let's just remember that all he knows at this point is his time at TITAN - that means no happy memories, at all. Nevertheless, it physically hurt to write the part where Percy said he wasn't a fan of water. I want to wrap him in a blanket and apologize profusely for all the crap I've put him through (and all the crap that is left to come - heh). **

**Anyway, I know I say this a lot, but you guys are seriously amazing. Your reviews are fabulous and never cease to brighten my day. And all the favorites and follows just blow my mind. So, THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart.**

**With love,**

**~Wrendsor **


	29. B2: Chapter VI

**A/N: It's been... over a month since I updated? So sorry about that, guys! I was bogged down with school stuff, and then family stuff. On the bright side, I hope ****everyone had a nice holiday! This new chapter can be my holiday gift from me to you.**

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to **Bianca Valdez** for being my 300th reviewer and for being awesome. I can't believe I've gotten that many reviews! You all are seriously the best. Keep them coming. :)**

* * *

Perseus

**Being back in the laboratory** wasn't what I'd call a pleasant experience. I'd probably use words like loathsome, and terrible, and unnerving. It was as if I had escaped prison, only for the police to send me right back. Dr. Martinez tried her best to keep my mind off it by talking as I sat on a metal table.

"So, you've met the Flock, then?" she asked, carefully unstrapping my wings from my back.

I nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty cool."

"They are sweet kids. I'm a bit bias, though." She laughed.

The doctor skimmed over my wings with a feather-light touch. My muscles tensed automatically. Taking a few breaths, I forced myself to calm down. Dr. M unfolded them partially, checking the wounds there. Her lips curved into a frown, and she hummed in her throat.

"What is it?" I asked nervously, straining my neck to try to see what was wrong.

"Nothing," she said. "I just didn't expect you to heal this quickly. Even with your hybrid genetics, it should've taken at least two more days until they healed, but yours are already scarred over."

"Oh."

There were a couple beats of silence as she continued to examine my wings before she spoke up again. "So, do you honestly have amnesia, or was that just Gazzy being Gazzy?"

I rolled my eyes. The minute I had opened the door, the Gasman had started rambling to Dr. Martinez that I was like the Scarecrow 'cause I didn't have a brain. The two siblings had left soon after that, scared away by the intimidating lab and bad memories.

"I don't remember anything past a month ago," I elaborated.

The woman moved on from my wings. She began to de-mummify me. "That's not good, Percy. I might have to do an MRI."

"Erm, could I pass on that?"

She shook her head. "I need to see if the amnesia is caused by brain damage. If you _do_ have brain damage, then that needs to be treated immediately."

My eyebrows creased together. "My head feels fine, though."

"Sometimes, there are no outward signs of brain damage until later down the road."

I grumbled to myself.

Once all the bandages were off, I finally got a glimpse of my own torso. I looked like Frankenstein's monster. Stitches crisscrossed my chest and arms, along with both freshly healed and old scars. Dr. Martinez brushed her hand over the stitching below my collarbone.

"This isn't right," she muttered.

"Hm?"

"Your healing. It took the Flock over six hours to fly you here, yet not once did you get better. And I definitely didn't notice wounds closing by themselves when I was fixing you up. So why are you suddenly all better now?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Weird things have been happening since I woke up."

"Weird how?"

"Well, I found out I was water resistant, but before today I definitely wasn't."

The doctor pursed her lips in thought. "I might have the answer. Just a moment."

She walked over to one of the cabinets along the wall and grabbed a plastic cup. After filling it with water from a sink, she made her way back over. She placed the cup beside me before digging a small pair of scissors out from a drawer.

"Hold still for me, Percy. I'm just going to remove some of your stitches."

I nodded, my fists clenching the side of the table I was sitting on. As Dr. Martinez cut off the black threads tying the skin beneath my collarbone together, I held my breath. Once she was done, she set the scissors down. The wound itself had scabbed over, but even I knew that it needed more time stitched together. Before I could say anything, the woman picked up the cup of water and drizzled it directly over the wound. We both gasped. As soon as the liquid made contact with the injury, the cut began to seal closed until all that was left was a fresh, pink scar.

"Woah," I murmured.

Dr. Martinez glanced at me. "It looks like you're a little more than just water resistant."

"Yeah." I was shocked. Water could _heal_ me? It was like the world was making a big practical joke or something.

Dr. Martinez continued to remove the rest of my stitches, occasionally pouring water over the cuts that hadn't healed enough. Once I was completely stitch-free, she clapped her hands together. "Now we just need that MRI, and you're all set."

I groaned.

* * *

Annabeth

**One might think that flying** ten thousand feet in the air at one hundred fifty miles per hour in the dead of winter would be freezing, but given that I was on a fire-breathing dragon and sitting right behind Leo the fire-user, I was pretty toasty. We had been in the air for just over two hours, and already I was getting antsy. Maybe we should have just shadow-travelled on Mrs. O'Leary? That would've gotten us there sooner. But then again, we'd be going against the prophesy. Piper had also brought up the option that the person we were up against could control darkness, so using shadows to travel would not have been smart.

Thinking about the prophesy brought a sense of doom in my gut. The last four lines bothered me the most. '_The four shall be met with war and death before the child of the eldest gods takes their last breath._' I already knew that war was on the horizon, as alluded to in the third Great Prophesy, and with all war comes the inevitable deaths. However, the last part of it was a death sentence for one of my friends. Either Jason, Thalia, Nico, Hazel, or Percy was going to die, and there was no escaping it.

And then the last lines: '_But Wisdom's daughter, beware the Sea, for where there is two, there must also be three_.' I was the Wisdom's daughter specified, of that I had no doubt. At first it confused me why a prophesy would tell me to beware the Sea, but then I remembered how the new Great Prophesy had referred to Percy as 'the Sea'. But why would I have to be cautious around my boyfriend? Perhaps it meant not to beware _of him_, but of something happening _to him_? And the three part. Three was an important number in Greek mythology. There were the three Fates, the three Furies, and even the Big Three. People had to go through three lives before reaching the Isles of the Blessed. But what _two_ was it warning of that will become _three_? There was going to be a third war, I knew, but that wouldn't fit with the line because of the earlier warning about Percy.

"Annabeth," a voice interrupted my thoughts. It was Piper. Turning around, I saw her sitting right behind me, a slight frown on her face. "You're thinking too hard."

"I'm not," I defended myself.

She raised an eyebrow. "You've been staring at the back of Leo's head for the past five minutes. He isn't that interesting."

The son of Hephaestus made an indignant noise in his throat. "Hey, I'll have you know, _many_ people think that I'm eye candy."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Calypso just says that to make you feel better."

"Take that back, missy, or I'll turn this car around." He wagged a finger.

I glared at him. "Don't even think about it."

Leo gulped. "Never mind."

"How about we all take in the view instead of trying to kill the driver?" Jason suggested.

The Latino nodded his head vigorously. "I second that motion."

The scenery was beautiful. Below us were skyscrapers covered in a blanket of snow. The huge buildings appeared as if they were dollhouses from our vantage point, and the people were ants. I couldn't admire it properly, however, because my mind was preoccupied.

Suddenly, the familiar agonizing pain stabbed into my skull. I gasped, trying to curl into the fetal position. That didn't really go over too well, as we were still ten thousand feet in the air atop of a metal dragon.

"Annabeth!" The three half-bloods chorused.

Piper grabbed my shoulders before I could topple off, but I didn't notice. I was too busy trying to not scream. Tears threatened to spill over my cheeks.

And then, images flashed through my head, as if I was watching a movie on fast-forward. A running creek, blueprints, postcards of Pennsylvania, DNA helixes, architectural designs, an old oil derrick, bright white flames, a woman's ashy-gray eye - they all flew passed my vision at the speed of light, and then they were gone. As soon of the images left, so did the pounding in my head.

I let out a sigh of relief, allowing my eyes to flutter open. Three faces stared at me with concern. Even Festus creaked in Morse Code to ask if I was okay. I waved them off, and Piper reluctantly let go of my shoulders.

"Is it getting worse?" asked Jason.

I shook my head. "No, but this time it was different."

"What was different about it?"

"It was like someone was downloading images into my mind," I said.

Piper's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you think a god is trying to communicate with you?"

"Or maybe it's that darkness dude trying to, you know, deceive us," Leo added helpfully.

I ignored them, trying to decipher the mental message. Most of the images made no sense to me. What was the connection between the DNA helix and fire? Or the woman's eye and the blueprints? The other ones, though… why did my mind insist that they were related? A running creek, Pennsylvania postcards, and an oil derrick… Then it hit me.

"I know where we have to go," I said.

"What? Where?" the son of Jupiter questioned.

"Titusville, Pennsylvania."

"What's a Titansville?" asked Leo.

"Not Titan, Titus," I corrected. "It's where the first oil well in America is located."

"And you think someone is leading us there," the daughter of Aphrodite postulated. "But why an oil well? What's so important about that?"

"I have no clue. But when do we ever know what the gods' intentions are?" I said.

Leo patted Festus's metal side. "You heard her, pal. Set course for Titan town."

"Titusville," I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, that place."

The bronze dragon clicked in reply, making subtle adjustments to his wings. In less than twenty minutes, we were flying over the small historical town.

"So, where to now, Commander Chase?" Leo turned to ask me.

I watched as the trees and houses passed under us. "We should try the Drake Well Museum first. If we don't find anything, then we will have to search through the state park."

"How did you know about this place anyway?" Piper wanted to know.

My fingers unconsciously tightened on Festus's scales. "I used to live in Virginia with my dad when I was younger. He liked to take the family on trips to historical landmarks."

"Oh." Jason peaked over his girlfriend's shoulder. "So you've been here before."

"No, actually."

"But you just said-"

"I ran away from home before we could come here," I informed him.

That led to an awkward moment of silence. Leo was the one to break it. "Who wants to look at some old museum, anyway? I say you got let off easy."

I didn't reply. Soon enough, we had reached our destination. Festus landed in a grassy clearing beside the river, only a few meters away from the main building. It was a weekday, and still early in the morning, so the place was practically empty. Once we had all slid off the dragon, Leo tinkered with some hidden buttons until Festus shrank back into a bronze cube. He returned it back to his tool belt.

Piper looked around. "Where do we want to start looking for… whatever it is we're supposed to be looking for?"

I took in our surroundings. Oil Creek bubbled lazily to the left of us, and the museum building was to our right. About a kilometer downstream from us was the thick forest that made up the state park.

The thin river drew my attention once again. I looked more closely at it, realization finally dawning on me. "We're in the right place. That's definitely the creek I saw in the vision. Now, we just need to find that derrick."

Jason nodded, his hand drifting to the sword hilt at his side. "We should be on guard, just in case. Like Leo said, we don't know who's sending these to you; it could be the enemy."

Taking his advice, Piper pulled out her knife. Its mirror-like surface reflected the sunlight, making it shimmer. Leo didn't have a conventional weapon to use, favoring using either his powers or tools to fight. He curled his hand into a fist. The smoke that rose from it indicated that he was ready to blast a fireball at a moment's notice. I left my Drakon-bone sword in its sheath, but my muscles were tensed in preparation.

I led the way downstream, not knowing exactly where we were going. The only knowledge I had of this place was second-hand - from when I was seven, and Dad had been talking about taking my little brothers and I here. That had been a week before I ran away. It surprised me that I even remembered hearing about the Drake Well, given that I had only heard about it in a passing comment ten years ago.

A little ways behind me, Leo was grabbing pebbles from the ground and seeing how many times he could skip them in the creek. His record was a jaw-dropping two. However, the reason for that had nothing to do with the fire-user's skill of skipping stones, but rather a certain son of Jupiter who kept causing a gust of wind to blow the pebble off course. Piper stifled her laugh at the oblivious Leo, whose patience with skipping pebbles was wearing thin.

The girl shoved him to the side. "Why don't you watch a pro do it?"

Leo scoffed. "Yeah, right. It probably has something to do with the oil in the water messing things up."

Ignoring him, she grasped a thin, smooth rock in her hand. She sucked in a deep breath, and on the exhale, threw it into the water. It jumped a total of six times before sinking. Piper winked at her boyfriend, getting a smug smile in return.

The son of Hephaestus was flabbergasted. "How did… what the-? I don't…" He stammered, glancing at Piper, and then back to where her stone disappeared under the water.

Realizing that they weren't following anymore, I turned around and sighed. They were a considerable distance away. "Come on, guys. I don't want to waste too much time here. The sun isn't going to move any slower."

The smile was wiped off Jason's face. He called back. "Yeah, okay. Coming."

Half-jogging, they finally caught up to me. Leo was still glaring at Piper, but otherwise was over it. He frowned as he spotted something beyond her shoulder. "Uh, I've never actually seen one, but is that the, um, Derick-thingy?"

"Derrick," I automatically corrected, following his eyes. "And yes."

Nestled between a cluster of trees was the replica of the Drake well, which the museum was named after. It was only a long wooden shack - the magic must happen on the inside. The oil derrick itself was unlike the younger iron oil derricks. Instead, it was made of wood, looking like a tall, triangular chimney attached to the building. It matched the image from my vision perfectly.

"Do we go inside it or something?" Piper pondered.

I bit my lip, deciding whether or not it was worth it to sneak into the wooden shack. Before I could make my decision, though, Jason interrupted my thoughts. "Did you hear that?"

We all stared at him. Leo raised an eyebrow. "Hear what?"

Jason turned around, squinting into the distance - toward the forest. I strained my ears to hear, but all they picked up was the running water next to us.

"Maybe you're just hearing voices," the Latino suggested. "It wouldn't surprise me. I've been worried about your mental health lately - _ow_!"

Jason gave him an electrified punch to the arm. "Not voices. It's a song."

"I hear it, too!" Piper suddenly exclaimed. "It's beautiful."

After a few more seconds, the sound finally reached my own ears. It was entrancing, like when Piper sang her Cherokee song in Athens. The melody flowed like honey. It was happy, yet sad at the same time, with hopefulness and wistfulness mixed in as well.

"Come on, guys. Don't tell me you've gone off the rocker, too," Leo complained.

I shushed him. "We need to follow it. The source of the sound could be what we're looking for."

As Jason, Piper, and I moved to see where it led to, Leo grabbed my arm. "Woah, it might be a trap. I thought you were supposed to be the rational one!"

That was enough to give me a pause, but only for a second. It didn't sound like the Siren's song that I heard while in the Sea of Monsters. This one didn't show me my deepest desires, or make me want to drown myself. It was otherworldly. In all my years as I demigod, I had never heard such a beautiful sound. It was just so… _pure_. And nothing that sounded that pure could be bad.

I ripped my arm from his grip. "It's not going to be a trap."

"Sure." He rolled his eyes. "So, you see nothing wrong with following a strange noise into the woods?"

I didn't bother with a response. Spinning around, I marched along the side of the river. Jason and Piper shared a quick glance before scrambling after me. The mechanic huffed, but trailed after the three of us, his fingers nervously twiddling with his tool belt.

When we reached the edge of the forest, the sound grew in volume. It was now clear as a bell in my ears. Leo's eyes blew wide.

"Okay, so maybe this isn't a trap," he muttered.

We quickened our pace, almost jogging in our effort to reach the beautiful noise before it went away. Piper nearly twisted her ankle on a root. Leo's nose was red after getting smacked by a branch from Jason. When I came to the next bend in the creek, I skid to a halt. Just a few meters ahead of me was the source of where the sound was coming from. Then, Jason rammed into my back. I shot him a scolding look, which he returned with a sheepish smile. Once the others had caught up, I pointed to the source.

At the bank of the creek, a large bird was perched in a nest of pine branches. It looked like a mix between an eagle and a peacock, with brilliant crimson feathers. Coming from its golden beak was the song. Up close, the music was even better. Just listening to it gave me goosebumps. We stared at the amazing creature in silence.

"It's really nice, isn't it?" The sudden unexpected voice made all four of us jump. "Of course, not as good as my voice, but this is as close as it gets."

My hand fell from my sword hilt. I knew that arrogant voice. Turning around, my suspicions were confirmed. "Lord Apollo. What are you doing here?"

The sun god was leaning casually against a tree, his arms loosely crossed over his chest. As always, he appeared to be around my age. He had on his signature sunglasses, and his blonde hair was perfectly gelled. "I could ask you four the same question. Aren't you supposed to be on lockdown?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but he waved me off.

"Ah, save yourself from explaining. I'm the god of prophesy, remember? I know when my Oracle gives one, and yours is one hell of a doozy, am I right?" He raised an eyebrow.

A doozy? He called the death sentence of one of my closest friends and the proclamation of another war a _doozy_? My eyes narrowed. "Yes. That's _exactly_ what I would call Rachel's newest prophesy."

Sensing my rising anger, Piper decided to cut in. "So, Lord Apollo, why did you send us here?"

The teen god frowned. "What? I never sent you here."

"You didn't? But what about Annabeth's visions?" Her eyebrows knit together.

"I didn't send them," said Apollo. "And I can't find out who did."

"Can't, or won't?" Leo asked.

"Can't. The god's trace is clouded from me. Whoever sent them obviously didn't want anyone finding out who they were."

"Wait, so if you didn't send us here," Jason questioned, "then why _are_ you here?"

"To visit the bird, of course!" the god threw up his hands. "That little guy is the only one who even comes close to my musical talents. I usually take a break here from driving my chariot to listen to his tunes."

Suddenly, the bird's singing died off. Worried, I spared a glance over at it just as it exploded. Piper, Jason, and I stumbled back as bright white flames engulfed the creature. Leo hurried forward to try to do something, but Apollo's words stopped him.

"Yo, chill, guys."

"Chill? The bird just spontaneously combusted!" Leo exclaimed.

The white fire seared into the backs of my eyes, almost blinding me with its brilliance. As quickly as they came, the flames vanished. All that was left of the bird was a pile of ashes.

Piper stared at the remains in horror. "What. Just. Happenned?"

Apollo removed his shades. "Wait for it…"

Then, something under the ashes started to move. A golden beak poked through, followed by a tiny, pink head. An unproportionally large, sapphire eye blinked at us.

I gasped. "Oh my gods... Is that-?"

"It is." Apollo smirked.

"It is _what_?" Piper asked, confused. Leo and Jason also shared in her confusion.

I was still gaping at the new bird, now risen from its predecessor's ashes. "It's the Phoenix. The only one in existence."

"Oh," Leo said. "Like that chicken thing in Harry Potter."

Apollo looked insulted. "The Phoenix is _not_ a chicken."

"Uh, of course not! I was just joking - yeah, joking. Haha," The son of Hephaestus backtracked.

Jason still looked lost. "I still don't understand how it survived spontaneous combustion."

"The Phoenix is one of Apollo's sacred animals," I explained. "Unlike other creatures, there can only be one. Every hundred years, the Phoenix will be reborn from fire."

As I spoke, the young Phoenix dug around its nest, searching for something. Using its mouth, it gently grabbed a round, amber-colored shell, before nudging its father's ashes into the shell. Once all the ashes were inside the shell, the bird sealed the open top with sap from the pine boughs.

"What's it doing now?" Piper frowned.

I answered. "Embalming the ashes of its father in an egg of myrrh. Legends say that it brings the egg to Apollo's temple, but now that the gods are in America, I don't know where it goes."

Apollo laughed. "It goes to Phoenix. Where else?"

"Phoenix, Arizona," Leo deadpanned. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Hey. The bird didn't choose the path; it just follows it."

"'The path'?" Jason furrowed his brow.

The god shrugged. "It's some kind of internal path that the Phoenix has, since it's connected to the sun."

My body froze. What he had just said sent alarms off in my brain. "The path of the sun," I mumbled.

"Sorry?" Jason asked.

"'They must travel by the path of the sun'," I repeated. "That's what the prophesy says. It must mean that we have to follow the Phoenix."

Apollo slid his sunglasses back on. "Great slouth work, Annabeth."

Over by the creek, the young Phoenix clutched the egg in its claws. It squawked at us, as if saying, '_hurry_ _up_,' before taking to the air. It circled over Apollo's head twice before flying off west.

"We have to go, or else we'll miss the bird," said Piper.

Leo retrieved Festus the cube from his tool belt, turning him into Festus the dragon. It was a tight squeeze to fit the metal automaton in the woods. His wings flattened a couple trees as he outstretched them. The mechanic climbed up his dragon's leg, Piper and Jason right after. I was about to follow when Apollo's voice stopped me.

"Do you know why the camps went into lockdown?" The question burst out of his mouth.

"No. Chiron wouldn't tell me." I had tried to weasel the information out of the centaur on a couple occasions, but he refused to share. It had surprised me, since he usually confided in me about things like that.

Apollo looked up at the sky briefly, before meeting my eyes. "Percy Jackson wasn't the only one kidnapped. Other demigods have been taken, too."

My lips pursed. "That doesn't make sense. None of the campers were reported missing in either camp."

"They were unclaimed demigods. Sixteen of them, last I knew. Your boyfriend was number seventeen."

"When did it start?"

"A week or two after the Second Giant War."

"And the gods can't find them?"

Apollo clenched his jaw. "Nope. As far as we know, whoever took them has a powerful sorceress on their side."

My eyes widened. It was Circe, I knew. The witch had sent me a dream about Percy just two nights ago. Plus, she was the one the Fifth Cohort encountered in California. "Do you know why they were taken?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I might be the god of prophesy, but not even I can see where this is headed."

I bit my lip, perturbed with this new information. Nonetheless, I thanked him.

"I owed my cuz a favor anyway for finding my fourth _celedon_," he replied. "This is me returning the favor."

I hurried up Festus's leg, settling into my spot between Leo and Piper again.

From below, Apollo called up. "Let me give you a goodbye haiku!" He cleared his throat. "_The half-bloods must leave. It was fun while it lasted. I wish you goodbye_."

"Let's go. Now," the charmspeaker begged. "Before he started shouting sonnets at us."

"On it," Leo replied.

As Festus rose into the air, we could still hear Apollo yelling.

"Wait, I can do better! _Phoenix awaits you. Your journey will be dangerous. Don't be led astray_."

Piper sighed, grumbling. "The middle line didn't even have seven syllables."

"Seriously," said Leo. "For the god of poetry, he sucks at poetry."

Imperfect poetry or not, the last haiku was unsettling. If Apollo, the god of big-egos, was saying that the journey was going to be dangerous, then we were in for a treacherous ride. I only hoped we could hold on long enough to save my boyfriend, and the other demigods.

* * *

**A/N: That's it for this chapter! I've never been to the Drake Well Museum, so sorry for anyone who has gone there, because I completely butchered it. But hey, creative license, right? And what are Annabeth's visions all about? Who could be behind them? At least one line of the prophesy has been figured out. Was the Apollo part enjoyable? I personally liked writing terrible haikus. **

**If you have any predictions, I'd love to hear them! Also, I'm open to suggestions and tips. Or basically anything you have to say, even if it's just rambling, like what I'm doing right now. **

**The wait for the next chapter won't be as long, hopefully. If it is, just bug me until I post something. Anyway, it's past three in the morning so I should probably go to bed. **

**Later,**

**~Wrendsor**


	30. B2: Chapter VII

**A/N: Forgive me readers, for I have sinned. it's been... 4 months since I last updated? Um, whoops? I have no excuses for you guys. At least no excuses that could constitute having a four month gap between chapters. So yeah, sorry about that. You have probably forgotten everything that happened so far (unless you are one of the lucky ones who just started reading). **

**Thanks for those who stuck with me, though! The year anniversary for this story has come and gone, as of March 12th. I've grown as a writer since then, thankfully. For everyone who has been with me since the beginning, I wanna give you guys a big thankful because without you I probably wouldn't have gotten far with this story. And thanks for everyone who is here now, still cheering me on after I practically dropped off the face of the earth. **

**You all deserve a pat on the back... Or maybe a new chapter. ;)**

* * *

Maximum

**A couple days flew by**, seemingly boring compared to the excitement of the bird-kid waking up. Our time had been spent getting adjusted to having a new member of the Flock and trying not to throw Jeb out the nearest window (though the latter was by grudging agreement on my part).

I'd learned a lot about Percy in the short time I'd known him. Something that was obvious to figure out was that he'd probably lived in New York pre-Itex. His accent was easy enough to pick out, and Gazzy had a field day with it (Iggy told the boy that if he said "Hey, I'm walking here," one more time, then he'd make sure Gazzy never walked again).

Secondly, Percy was _always_ moving, in some form or another. The kid was twitchier than a caffeinated chihuahua. He paced, shuffled, drummed, tapped, fidgeted, swayed, and bounced. Maybe he was part shark, so it would actually kill him to stop moving. I should check him for gills at some point.

Percy also had enough sarcasm for the entire Flock put together and had a wide range of creative insults, which I learned during an intense video game tournament where he destroyed Fang and Gazzy only to be obliterated by Nudge. How he came up with some of them were beyond me.

Another thing about the newest bird-kid was his aversion to sleep. But that probably had nothing to do with him as a person and everything to do with the School. I knew better than most about the nasty side effects of being a lab rat, and how it feels like you never truly left the School when your dreams always came back to it.

Last evening, Dr. Martinez had left for Massachusetts to visit her aunt (and technically mine too), which was where Ella, my half-sister, had been staying the past couple months. Mom cleared Percy right before she left, saying that he should just take it easy for the next few days. Percy was glad to be done with the checkups. The kid even got most of his appetite back, eating three meals a day, but still had a while to go before he was up to bird-kid eating standards.

Now, it was mid morning. All of the safe house's inhabitants were awake except Percy, which was a pleasant surprise. Gazzy and Angel were playing checkers on the coffee table with Angel whooping her brother's butt, but that was due to her ability to know his every move. Nudge sat on the floor flipping through one of her fashion magazines, oohing and ahing sporadically, as Iggy expertly braided her hair. Fang sat on the couch beside them, nursing a cup of coffee. He'd been the last to come down and looked half-asleep still, his hair tousled from a night of uneasy rest.

Sitting beside the raven-haired boy, I grabbed the mug out of his hands. He sent me a half-lidded glare as I took a sip. My face immediately scrunched up.

"Eck, black coffee. How do you drink this stuff?" I shoved the drink back into his waiting hand.

He shrugged. "It's a taste I've acquired from our runaway days after going days without sleep."

"Is the energy even worth it if it means killing your tongue?"

"Not everyone likes to drink pure sugar, you know." He raised an accusing eyebrow.

I scoffed. "I add milk too. Calcium is good for the bones."

"But sugar's bad for your teeth," he countered.

"So is coffee."

"Touché."

He took another sip before staring into the depths of the black liquid. No longer sleepy, he now looked lost in thought.

I nudged his shoulder, urging him to share what was on his mind without using words. Honestly, Fang and I could hold entire conversations without saying a single word, a fact that I loved. It meant that we knew each other down to a fundamental level. But in this instance, a verbal conversation seemed better.

He caught my drift (of course he did) and cleared his throat. "Something about this Percy situation doesn't seem right."

My lips curved into a frown. Fang had been wary of the kid at first, but he loosened up since the first day. Or so I thought. "What do you mean?"

"You've got to admit, this is… strange, right? The School decides to make another bird-kid after eight years, and on top of that he has amnesia. Plus, we don't really know what TITAN's plan is. _Why_ are they doing this?"

"Mass genocide is my guess." After all, that's what Itex had originally planned to do a year ago before the Flock had stopped them. I didn't think they'd changed their MO since then; they'd been pretty determined to go through with the by-half thing. Which meant killing three billion people. Big step up from Hitler, there, which should have told any sane person just how insane that plan was.

"True. But that's just their ultimate goal. How are they gonna get there? And how would erasing a bird-kid's memories help them achieve that?"

I bit my lip, rolling the information around in my head. "Maybe he heard something he wasn't supposed to? So they erased his memory and tortured him? That would explain the state we found him in."

Fang shook his head. "They would've just killed him if he heard something he wasn't supposed to."

"Unless they still needed him," I pointed out.

"But for what?" he asked.

"Perhaps he has a mutation we don't know about that would make him useful."

My fists clenched at the intruder's voice, my day turning sour like spoiled milk. My eyes flicked over the the man standing behind the couch. "Batchelder. To what do we owe this _pleasure_?"

After I had gone off at Jeb for questioning Percy a couple days ago, the scientist had kept his distance. Apparently that had only been temporary. Pity.

Dr. Batchelder flashed his professional smile, refusing to acknowledge the hostility in my voice. "I've just come to inform you six that my associate has finally decoded the files Nudge collected."

Hearing her name called, said girl looked up from her magazine. "What? That's great! Did you find anything about TITAN? Wait, don't tell me: they want to kill half the population too."

Jeb folded his hands behind his back. "The files have been very insightful. Thank you for collecting them, Nudge."

"I'd say 'anytime', but I'd really rather not go back to that place. Like, ever."

The man chuckled. "That's quite alright. I believe we have gotten all the information we need from you. Now, if you would all like to see what we've uncovered…"

"Actually," Iggy said, "there might be a _tiny_ problem with that."

Jeb stood there in confusion for a few seconds before realization dawned on him. Gazzy burst into a fit of giggles while I just rolled my eyes. Fang gave him a subtle fist bump.

The scientist awkwardly adjusted his tie. "Ahem, well, if you would all just follow me. And someone grab that other boy. He should be there too, as this affects him the most."

* * *

Perseus

**Since I could first remember**, I had felt trapped. Back at the School, there had been a constant, overwhelming feeling of being suffocated under all the chains I was bound by. A bird in a cage, wanting nothing more than to fly away (or in my case run, because my wings were useless at being wings).

After getting sprung from my prison, I expected the trapped feeling to go away. It didn't. Even though the cages and collars and white walls were all a thing of the past, my chest still constricted as if I had never left.

_We're trapped_, my mind would shout.

I had to constantly remind it that we had been freed a while ago by those nice bird kids, but it never listened.

The feeling was always heaviest at night. It made my breaths shallow and forced me to fling the covers off just to stop my heart from racing. The lack of a window in my room didn't help either.

As my eyes slid shut, the walls descended on me.

_I stood in the middle of a long, empty hallway. Walls rose up on either side of me higher than I could see. They were made out of black bricks. Immediately, I was entranced by them. I wanted - no, I _needed_ \- to see what was on the other side. My hand moved on its own accord, pressing against the rough surface._

_Suddenly, lightning laced through my skull, like an ax had just buried itself in my brain. I cried out, dropping to one knee. As soon as my fingers slipped from the brick, the pain fizzled away._

_Once I collected all my brains back together, I stood up on wobbly legs. The wall called for me again, tempting me to reach for it. I glared at the evil bricked monstrosity. _Bad wall_. No way was I going to fall for that again._

_As I glared at it, something on its surface made me pause. Carefully, I leaned closer. My eyes squinted to see through the darkness of the hallway. There, stretching across four bricks, was a thin crack. I probably would have never noticed it before if I hadn't been staring directly at it._

_"Percy."_

_It was like I had been dumped into ice water. My entire body froze. That voice. It was almost familiar, like the name was on the tip on my tongue._

_I twisted around, but in the darkness all I could see was a figure. A flash of gold here. A hint of silver there._

_"Hello?" I took a hesitant step forward. The ground felt like it would shatter at any moment. Or maybe it was me who would shatter._

_The silhouette didn't respond. It cocked its head, causing another glimmer of gold to flicker into view._

_One step became two, and two became three, until I was running toward the unknown figure. The hallway seemed desperate to keep us apart. For every two feet I rushed forward, I got pushed a foot back. The person stayed exactly where they were, obviously in no hurry to help me out. I almost yelled in frustration._

_Finally, _finally_, I reached the figure. My hands came down on their shoulders. Right as I made contact, the black walls disappeared and I found myself staring at a girl._

_Memories exploded in my head like fireworks. Curly blonde princess hair, gray eyes like an oncoming storm, an IQ that could probably beat Einstein's, a teasing look quickly followed by 'Seaweed Brain'._

_The name clicked in my head, snapping back into place. "Annabeth," I breathed out._

_Her face twisted into a smirk. "Not quite, Perseus."_

_Instead of Annabeth's smooth yet sharp voice, what came out was bland and ungendered. Her stormy eyes faded into the color of burnt ash._

_My legs nearly collapsed under me, but it was like someone had pushed the pause button on my body. I couldn't move an inch. My hands were glued to not-Annabeth's shoulders._

_"Who are you?" I asked._

_"Many people have asked that question recently." She had a thoughtful look on her face. "Which is surprising, as no one has spared me a second thought in millennia."_

_"You, uh, look good for being thousands of years old," I responded. How was it possible for someone to be that old? Even with all the new technology, the oldest you could age was a hundred or so. I wondered what her secret was. The fountain of youth, maybe?_

_The girl laughed, which sounded weird with her monotonous tone. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Perseus. Besides, this form has already proven to be appealing to you, so no need to state the obvious."_

_"O-kay, then," I muttered. This was getting weird. Obviously this girl wasn't the one I remembered - even if the only memories I had of Annabeth were blurry and scattered, this person definitely wasn't her. Whereas Annabeth was logical, this one seemed to be cuckoo for coco puffs._

_Since I'd already asked who she was with no straight answer, I figured I probably shouldn't waste my breath. She seemed dead set on keeping her identity a secret. How she made herself look like someone I vaguely knew was beyond me, but if she went through all that trouble, she wasn't gonna just spill at my command._

_A gentle breeze ruffled my hair, drawing me out of my thoughts. For the first time, I got a glimpse of our surroundings. We were no longer in the never ending dark hallway, that was for sure._

_"Where are we?" I questioned._

_The blonde looked amused. "I am surprised you do not recognize it. We are at the Long Island Sound."_

_We were standing at the top of a tall cliff overlooking the ocean. Not-Annabeth had her back to the view, her heels dangerously close to the edge. If I were to lean forward slightly, I'd be able to spot the waves crashing against the rocky shore at the bottom of a very long drop._

_But, Long Island was in New York, wasn't it? The last I knew, I had been in Utah with the Flock. "Why should I recognize this place? I've never been here before in my life." As soon as I said that, my heart clenched, but I brushed it off._

_The millennium-year-old just hummed in the back of her throat._

_Her responses, or lack of, were really getting on my nerves. My hands tightened around her shoulders. Below us, the sea raged._

_"All you've done since you got here was confuse me and ignore my questions," I said through gritted teeth. "Why did you you even come? What do you want?"_

_The look she sent me reminded me so much of Dr. Lavette that a shiver crawled up my spine. "You, Perseus. I want you."_

_The breath left my lungs. "...What?"_

_She laughed again, a robotic grating sound. "You have no idea how much power you hold, halfblood."_

_"That's a bit racist." Never mind the power part - I mean, I already knew I had wings and apparently water abilities, so that wasn't anything new - I was more focused on what she called me._

Halfblood_. The word did seem somewhat familiar, like something nagging in the back of my mind. But half of what? The answer was just out of reach. My entire _life _was just out of reach, it appeared. I was about to blow up from all my pent up frustration and unanswered questions._

_The ground groaned beneath our feet. The image of a shaken up soda can on the brink of explosion came to mind. My body shook in anger but still refused to move an inch._

_Noticing the tremors in the ground, Not-Annabeth's smirk turned into an outright smile, reminding me of a hungry shark. "You can feel it, can you not? The unadulterated power running through your veins? Your time in the Pit just unleashed the floodgates."_

_My time in the Pit? The only things that popped in my head was the student section in basketball games and an armpit, but I doubted she meant either of those._

_"Of course," she continued, "your human DNA was unable to handle such power. It became unstable, warring with your other side. So, I decided to make a few… alterations."_

_"Alterations? You mean… the wings?" My mind whirled. This person was the one who grafted bird DNA inside of me. Who turned me into a world-classed freak with bird wings and water abilities. I felt like punching her, no matter whose face she was currently wearing._

_"Yes. I was the one who decided it was best to splice your genetics with an avian's."_

_"But why? What was the point of it?"_

_"Besides the obvious irony?" She arched an eyebrow, the 'obvious irony' completely lost on me. "There is a plan behind all of this, and you get the honor of being my favorite playing piece."_

_"I'm nobody's pawn," I growled._

_She chuckled. "Who said you were the pawn?"_

_My muscles strained against the magic that held me in place, but it was no use. I was still as frozen as a Percy statue. "Who are you? What's your name?" I pressed._

_The girl leaned in, standing on her toes to reach my ear. From this close, I could smell the lemon shampoo in her hair. "I'm nothing but a voice in your head, Perseus Jackson."_

_The words seemed to come from everywhere all at once, as if it had been said directly in my mind. Before I could react, my stomach flared in agony. My eyes trailed down to see her hand dropping back to her side, leaving behind a bronze dagger embedded in my abdomen._

_Then, the spell broke, my body unpausing. My knees buckled underneath me, sending me to the ground. Above, I could hear a sharp gasp._

_"Percy?" Came a shaking voice._

_Blonde hair entered my vision as the girl crouched down. Instead of the ashy eyes of my unknown visitor, I found myself staring into two pools of silver._

_"Annabeth," I choked out._

_Her hand flew to her mouth as she noticed the dagger in my gut, but as soon as her fingers touched her face, she startled. Red blood coated her hand - my blood. Her eyes flew from my wound back to her bloody hand before she finally made the connection._

_"No," Annabeth whispered. "No, no, no."_

_I reached out for her, but she just scrambled back._

_"I don't… I-I didn't mean to…"_

_I realized what was going to happen a second too late. "Annabeth, stop!"_

_Annabeth's foot slipped off the edge of the cliff. I tried to dive for her, but a sudden wave of nausea had me fighting to stay awake. She teetered on the edge for a moment, my hand desperately reaching out in an attempt to grab her. Our fingers barely brushed each other's, and then, she was falling._

_Ignoring the knife still stuck in my stomach, I scooted over to the edge. Maybe I still had time. Maybe if I flew fast enough, I could still save her. But as a looked down, all that greeted me was the howling of the waves below._

_And then, it was me who was falling._

Thud.

The sudden flash of pain in my head forced me into consciousness. I groaned, my hand rubbing the sore spot on my forehead. My bed sat innocently beside me, acting as if it hadn't played a big part in my new headache.

Sighing, I struggled against the cocoon of sheets my legs were trapped in and tried to remember why my unconscious self had felt the need to roll off my bed.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The dream had already faded away, probably aided by the floor when my head smacked against it. All that remained was a fleeting image of silver and gold, and an overwhelming sense of dread.

The creaking of the door opening broke me out of my thoughts. Angel peeked her head in, her blue eyes trailing from the bed to my crumpled figure tangled in blankets on the floor. A grin split across her face. "Lose a fight with the sheets?"

"It was an intense battle. I barely came out of it alive," I told her in a grave voice.

The eight-year-old tried to maintain a straight face, but giggles eventually burst out of her. She shook her head. "C'mon, silly. Jeb wants to show us something."

The mention of Dr. Batchelder sent my wings bristling. I didn't trust the man, for some reason I couldn't tell. Maybe it was because he insisted on wearing that lab coat of his despite how uncomfortable it made me and the Flock, or maybe it was just a six sense I'd developed to separate the dicks of the world from everyone else.

Clambering to my feet, I asked, "Do you know what it is?"

"Nudge's files were uncoded by one of Jeb's friends. He says there's important stuff in them that we need to see."

As we climbed to the sixth floor, Angel's focus remained on me, like she was searching for something. I arched an eyebrow at her. She looked down at her sneakers. That wasn't the first time I'd caught the blonde staring at me like I was a riddle she couldn't solve. At first I'd thought she just needed glasses, but seeing as I was the only person she looked at like that, I figured it was just something about me.

Before I could ask her what about me bothered her, we reached our destination. Luckily, it was just a conference room with a long table and chairs set up around it. Batchelder sat at one end of the table, a computer set up in front of him. On the opposite wall was a screen projecting what was shown on the desktop.

"Thank you, Angel, for retrieving Percy," Jeb said without looking up from the computer.

The girl mumbled a quick "you're welcome," before slipping into the empty seat between Max and Iggy. I followed her lead, seating myself next to Nudge, who flashed me a warm smile.

"We're all here now, Jeb," said Max. "So tell us what you found."

The man nodded, moving the mouse cursor across the screen. He clicked one of the folder buttons, and a long list of files popped up. "This is all the information my colleague was able to pull out. The files were all heavily encrypted, which wasn't the difficult part. What she had the most trouble with was the language it was written in."

"It wasn't in English?" Gazzy asked incredulously.

"No. They were all in ancient Latin. Usually, the computers would be able to translate it, but the form it was written in was so old that even the machines could only create a rough translation," Jeb explained.

"Why would someone learn an ancient form of an already dead language?" Max furrowed her eyebrows.

Iggy shrugged. "Bragging rights?"

"Nonetheless," Dr. B interrupted, "the files are mostly legible, and they have revealed many interesting things."

The scientist clicked on one of the listed files, bringing up a document. My eyes squinted at the projector screen to read it, but the words didn't like that idea. Letters danced across my vision, making it look like a word scramble. I skimmed down the document, fighting a losing battle with letters.

Thankfully, I was saved from voicing my frustration when Jeb continued to speak. "This is one of the files pertaining to TITAN's subjects. This file in particular states the reason why TITAN chose the subjects they did."

"And that reason would be…?" I urged.

"Each subject had an unusual mutation prior to being tested on. And by unusual, I mean completely unfathomable. It shouldn't even be scientifically possible."

The Flock was on the edges of their seats. I had to clamp down on my tongue to keep from yelling at Jeb to just _spit it out already_.

"Everyone here knows that DNA is in a double helix shape, correct?" Jeb questioned, receiving haste nods in return. "Well, each subject at TITAN had a mutation in their DNA which deleted half of the helix. Because of that, these children were dubbed 'Halfas'."

A memory sparked in the back of my mind. A twisted face with ashy eyes. A robotic voice. _You have no idea how much power you hold, halfblood_. I shook it off.

"I don't get it," said Nudge. "So, Percy only has one parent? That's a thing?"

Jeb shook his head. "No, no. If Percy had been birthed parthenogenetically, then he would have the exact same DNA as his parent, but that isn't the case here."

"So what you're saying is, I was a freak even before TITAN made me into one." I frowned, crossing my arms.

"Not a freak, Percy. A _miracle_. Half of your DNA structure is completely missing, and yet you are alive and in perfect health."

"In perfect health… Minus the amnesia," Fang muttered.

His comment went ignored by the scientist. "Which brings us to the reasoning behind TITAN. With half of your helix deleted, your DNA structure was most likely extremely volatile. The whitecoats must have used animal DNA to try to stabilize it."

"And all the tests they made me do? Were those to stabilize my DNA too?" I retorted.

Dr. B bristled. "I'm not saying the whitecoats didn't have an ulterior motive behind their actions, Percy. What I'm saying is that becoming an avian-hybrid might have saved your life."

"Right. Let me just go back to the School and give Dr. Loco a pat on the back for being my savior."

Jeb cleared his throat (probably from all the sarcasm I shoved down it). "There's no need for that."

"Is there anything else you were gonna show us, or did you just bring us here to sing the whitecoats praises?" Max butted in, effectively dragging Jeb's attention away from me.

I was grateful for it. The idea of Dr. Lavelle saving my life had sent shivers up my spine and made my blood boil. I clenched my fists under the table to stop them from shaking. Whether it was from rage or fear, I didn't know. Beside me, Nudge glanced at me worriedly. She patted my shoulder.

Jeb opened his mouth, as if to argue with Max, but he just sighed heavily. "That is all the information I wanted to share for now. After dinner, I will go over some more of what we've uncovered. Until then, you are dismissed."

Max didn't wait for him to finish. She pushed back her chair and stomped out of the room, mumbling about whitecoat sympathizers under her breath. Fang threw a glare at the man before following her. The remainder of the Flock were quick to leave right after.

Just as I crossed the doorway, the last to exit, a voice stopped me.

"Percy?"

I spun around. Jeb sat straight-backed in his chair, his eyes zeroed on me. Resisting the urge to fidget, I lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"You cannot play cat and mouse forever. TITAN wants you, and they will stop at nothing to get you back."

My stomach tightened, but I forced myself to remain calm. "This mouse can run pretty fast."

The corner of Jeb's mouth twitched up. "You play a dangerous game, Percy. If you are not careful, someone might get hurt."

"I'm not afraid of getting hurt."

"No one said it would be you getting hurt," the scientist replied.

My chest stilled. I had known TITAN would try to get me back. After all, they couldn't just have some mutant wandering around the country. But I never thought about the danger I was putting my new friends in. They had been in the School before; no way did I want to be the reason they were sent back. But I couldn't just turn myself in. That would be suicide.

"I've got it handled, Dr. Batchelder."

He looked at me strangely, almost hungrily. "I suppose you do, Perseus."

"It's Percy."

"Of course. My mistake."

I frowned, searching the man's face. Something seemed a little _off_ about him. For a moment, I could have sworn his eyes were gray, but then I blinked and they were back to blue. It must have been a trick of the light.

Yeah, right. And I can talk to horses.

* * *

**A/N: I totally didn't steal the term 'halfa' from Danny Phantom. Of course not.**

**I seem to like writing about creepy dreams. Expect more of them to come. **

**What did you think about Percy's dream? And what could TITAN's plans be? **

**I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, you certainly waited long enough for it. Follows and favorites are appreciated! Reviews are also very important. They keep me inspired to write. So, keep them coming. **

**Later dudes, **

**~Wrendsor**


	31. B2: Chapter VIII

**A/N: Well, the world is officially ending. Trump is president and I'm posting another chapter! **

* * *

Maximum

**Liquid fire burned in my veins**. It raced through my stomach and scorched my lungs. I was engulfed in it, steaming and smoking and simmering. It tinged my vision red. My hands ached from how hard I clenched them.

Anger was not a new thing to me. Anyone who had known me for five minutes could probably tell. But, I usually restrained it well enough. Kept it smothered by mental walls and an iron will. I needed to be the cool-headed leader of the Flock, not an emotionally unstable girl with anger management issues.

However, Jeb Batchelder liked to test that restraint. He just walked right up to my mental walls and _shoved_ until everything I buried came tumbling out. Digging under my skin was a special talent of his. After spending so many years observing the Flock and me, he knew exactly how to set me off. Which meant he held power over me. A power that I _hated_.

It was pathetic, really, how powerless I felt when he was around. But his presence brought up memories of pain, and betrayal, and worthlessness. It was like a bad taste in my mouth, or a queasiness in my gut. My temper never failed to draw a short fuse whenever he made himself known.

And then, Batchelder had gone and told Percy that the whitecoats had saved his life. The whitecoats who had tortured him (me). Caged him (me). Dehumanized him (me). The kid hadn't even been free from them for a week - was barely healed from the latest experiment the whitecoats had put him through. It didn't matter if Jeb was right. The whitecoats might have ensured Percy's survival, but they sure as hell didn't save him.

Dr. Batchelder couldn't understand that. And that was what made me so angry. How could he not see the damage the scientists had done to Percy - done to us all? I'd spent countless nights shaking in bed, trying to ignore the flashes of my childhood as a lab subject. I'd cradled Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel in my arms as they sobbed about their latest nightmare. Iggy still had phantom pains in his eyes from time to time, the torture of the failed vision experiment following him like a shadow. Even Fang was affected, although he tried his best to hide it. Familiar smells or sounds would make him freeze, his eyes widening in terror.

Batchelder had gotten us out of the School years ago, but he didn't understand that we never truly left.

My hands shook with unbridled rage as I stomped out of the conference room. I struggled to keep my breathing in check. In, out, in, out. The fire continued to burn, blocking out all sound.

_Control, control, keep it under control_. Tugging at the roots of my hair, I sucked in a ragged breath. _Don't lose it, Max, not in front of the kids_...

Ice extinguished the fire on my shoulder. I barely startled, didn't even turn around. Of course he was right behind me. "You need to cool down, Max. We all need to."

Fang was an anchor. He helped me get my bearings, set me on the right path. The fire was smothered, buried under miles of brick and solid iron. I could breathe again.

My fists unclenched. "Yeah, you're right."

"We could play _Sorry_ again," Gazzy offered.

Everyone made a face at that.

"No thanks, Gaz," Iggy said. "It's not fun when you always win."

"You guys just suck at it."

Nudge curled her lip. "You just know how to rig the game."

"Do not!"

Footsteps interrupted their little argument as Percy finally joined the group. He looked spooked, his face drawn and pale. As soon as his eyes met mine, however, he was back to normal.

The Gasman lit up like a Christmas tree when he spotted the older boy. "Percy! Do you wanna play _Sorry_ with us?"

The birdkid in question raised an eyebrow. "With you? No, thanks. You cheat."

That caused a round of well-needed laughter from everyone, bar Gazzy who was too busy denying it.

"We could play _Monopoly_ instead," Iggy suggested.

The response was a resounding, "no". Iggy wiped the floor with everyone whenever we played; it wasn't even a competition anymore.

"_Just Dance_?" Angel asked.

Fang shook his head. "Percy almost broke the TV the last time."

"That wasn't my fault! Nudge shoved me."

"It was a friendly tap," said Nudge. "You just have terrible balance."

I sighed, letting their bickering fall over me like a warm blanket. The familiarity of it helped soothe my nerves, allowing all thoughts of Jeb to disappear. This was my family. We were not under the School's control anymore. We were free.

An idea filtered to the front of my brain, causing me to smile. "I know a great way to cool ourselves off."

Six heads turned in my direction.

"Who's up for flying?"

* * *

**The rooftop seemed like** an oasis compared to inside. As soon as we all stepped out of the safe house, it was like life had finally been breathed back into us. Iggy and Gazzy were the first out, sprinting straight for the edge and whooping the entire time. Jumping from the building, they went into a free fall.

Nudge and Angel didn't even reach the edge before both of their wings were spread out. The wind caught them, and then they were soaring.

I laughed as I watched the others fly, the joy on their faces raising my spirits. Not to miss out on the fun, I shook out my own wings, tugging on Fang's sleeve to do the same. Except, he wasn't looking at the sky as I was, desperate to get into the air. He was staring behind us.

Percy strayed by the stairwell door, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. His black hair flopped in front of his eyes, but it wasn't too hard to spot the fear in them. Shifting from one foot to the other, Percy looked extremely uncomfortable to be up so high.

"Are you gonna join us, Percy?" I asked.

The kid startled, but didn't move from his position by the exit. "Uh, actually, I think I'll just watch. If that's okay."

Fang and I shared a glance.

"You aren't scared of heights, are you?" I wondered.

"What? No." He scoffed. "Okay, well, yes. Maybe? I'm not really sure." His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, like he didn't know what to do with himself.

"You have wings," said Fang. "Heights aren't exactly a problem for you anymore."

Percy pursed his lips, looking like he swallowed a lemon. "I can't use them. They're just dead weight."

"You mean, you can't fly yet?"

"Not really."

A grin lit up my face as realization hit. "This is gonna be fun, then."

Squinting his eyes in suspicion, Percy frowned. "I don't think I like where this is going."

I grabbed his arm before he could retreat indoors. With Fang's help, we tugged a squirming Percy closer to the edge of the building. From there, I could see treetops eighty feet below. Iggy and Gazzy were only small specks on the horizon. Angel and Nudge were nowhere to be seen, hidden by the clouds near the lower levels.

"Okay, so flying is pretty simple," I explained. "It's ingrained in our DNA the same way it's in a bird's. Just jump and let your wings do the rest."

Percy tugged against our grip, but Fang and I held firm. "You know what? I think I'm feeling a little sore. Maybe I should sit this one out…"

"Mom gave you the all clear yesterday; you're fine," I shot him down.

"I think Jeb wanted to talk to me, so I'll just-"

Fang huffed. "Stop making excuses."

"I am not, I-I…" Percy's voice wavered. No matter how hard he tried to disguise it, the fear was visible on his face. He suddenly looked years younger. "I don't remember who I used to be before… all this. But I know that I wasn't at the School my whole life. Just accepting what they did to me and flying like I was born to do it, that's like saying they won."

All my motherly instincts broke free. I felt like taking the kid under my wing so that no more harm could reach him. My number of surrogate children just went up by one.

"Look, Percy." My hand drifted from his arm down to his wrist, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "The whitecoats did terrible things to you. They took your life away and gave you something you didn't ask for. But no one can reverse what's already been done. You're a birdkid now. Accepting who you are now doesn't mean that the whitecoats won. It means that you are willing to move past what they've done and survive.

"Jeb was wrong. The whitecoats didn't save you, only you can do that. But first, you have be willing to overcome the fear holding you back."

Percy tugged his arms, and this time we let go. He rubbed his face and sniffed, but didn't move away from the edge. "Inspiring speech, there. But how do I overcome it?"

"Like this."

At my cue, Fang shoved Percy over the edge.

"Was this really the smartest plan?" Fang asked as we watched a screaming Percy plumet.

"I've done this three times before. I know what I'm doing."

"Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel all knew what they were in for. They were also younger and in much better health."

I kept my eyes focussed on the falling birdkid. "Are you trying to imply something? Because I don't have time to decipher your vagueness right now."

"What if Percy hasn't learn to fly because he isn't able to fly?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Nope. The School wouldn't keep him if he was faulty."

"Well, he's not flying now, is he?"

"Wait for it…." My eyes were glued to Percy, who was now dangerously close to the treeline.

"Max, he doesn't even have his wings out."

"...Shit!"

I wasted no time jumping off the building, Fang right behind me. A free fall would be too slow, so my wings shot out. In one powerful flap, I reached my max speed. The world blurred around me as I zeroed in on my target. Percy was screaming, although the sound was lost to my ears, and he was fast approaching the ground.

My eyes narrowed as I strained my wings to go even faster. He was so close to becoming nothing more than a pancake, but I was quickly gaining speed. At this distance, I could see that his eyes were squeezed shut, and he was muttering something.

Reaching out a hand, I yelled his name. Percy's eyes snapped up and met mine. He twisted in the air, trying to grab my hand. The trees were right below, stretching toward us like a monster's maw. It had been dumb to shove him of the building. Clearly, he was still afraid and wasn't ready to face his fears. I had kept pushing, determined to get him to fly. Because, for me, flying was freedom.

But for Percy, flying was just another cage.

Adrenaline flooded my systems, spurred on by my new sense of guilt. I had to reach Percy; this situation was my fault. In one giant sweep of my wings, the distance between us finally closed. My arms encircled his torso as his wrapped around my neck. Now, for the painful part.

Trying to slow our descent, I extended my wings to their full wingspan. The wind caught my wings, tugging them up in an awkward angle. I yelped in pain, but forged through it. Fighting against the strong pull, I yanked my wings down once, twice. It took all my strength to fight against gravity, and still, Percy and I continued to fall. After one more weak flap, my wings finally gave out.

Percy and I crashed into the tree canopy. Thankfully, my efforts to slow us down weren't in vain, because we didn't die on impact. The first branch we slammed into broke us apart, and then we turned into a pinball machine as we hit every branch on the way down. I tucked my wings as close to my body as I could so that they wouldn't get hurt further, but the rest of my body was left vulnerable. Branches and leaves scratched past me as I tried to find a handhold. Finally, my left hand got ahold of a thin tree limb, but my body's momentum caused it to snap. My mind barely had time to register that I was falling again before the ground sped up to me and I was ducking and rolling.

I came to a stop a few feet away, spitting out grass and leaves. Then all my aches and pains decided to make themselves known. Groaning, I pushed myself into a sitting position to view the damage. My jeans were alright other than some dirt because of their sturdy material. My shirt, on the other hand, was torn up, revealing scratched skin beneath. Nothing was broken, thankfully. Although, my wings were probably a little strained.

Looking up, I could see where Percy and I fell through. A wide hole in the canopy above showed all the branches and foliage we'd destroyed in our descent. I let out a slow breath, forcing my soreness to the back of my mind.

A groan pulled me out of my thoughts. Turning around, I finally spotted Percy. He'd landed a couple yards away, partially hidden by some underbrush. Noticing that he was holding his head, I rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?" I asked, helping him up. His legs were wobbly, but I couldn't tell if that leftover from the near death experience or if he had a concussion.

"Mostly," he replied. "Just hit my head on the way down, but it's nothing serious."

"Let me see," I insisted, moving his hand out of the way.

There was a welt on Percy's temple that was turning purple, but it hadn't broken skin. After giving the rest of him a quick once over, I deemed him not in immediate trouble. Like me, he only sustained scratches and bruises.

"Sorry for pushing you off the building," I said.

"Huh?" Percy asked. "It was Fang who pushed me."

"But I told him to. You said you didn't want to fly, but I still did it."

Percy shook his head. "No, you were right. I'm being a wimp about it. I just need to do it, but every time I try-" He cut himself off and looked away.

This was getting too personal for him, and we'd only known each other for a couple days. As someone with trust issues myself, I understood not wanting to share all my feelings. Instead, I searched for a subject change.

My mind hit the brakes for a moment. Fang had pushed Percy off the building. Fang had been right behind me as I jumped off. Even with my advanced speed, Fang should have reached us by now. My danger-sense went off.

I became hyperaware of my surroundings. The only sounds I heard were Percy's and my breathing. The insects and animals all had gone eerily silent. Even the wind had disappeared. It was like the entire forest was holding its breath. I wasn't the only one to notice.

"What's wrong?" asked Percy.

"Fang should've been here by now. Something's up."

The thought of flying made me wince for my sore muscles, but my protectiveness over the Flock won out. They were still up there, and I needed to check on them. Something in my gut told me so.

"I'm going to check the treeline and make sure everything is okay with Fang," I told Percy. "I don't think my wings can handle both of our weight."

The birdkid nodded. All the uncertainty left his face as determination replaced it. Suddenly, as he squared his shoulders and shot me a crooked smile, I caught a glimpse of the person Percy had been before the School dug their claws in him. "Go. I'll be fine down here."

I gave him one last glance before throwing out my wings and taking to the air. It took me longer than normal because my strokes weren't as strong, but I made it above the treeline.

"Max!" Angel's frantic voice echoed through both my ears and mind.

Twisting, I caught her around the shoulders right as she barrelled into me. Her own panic seeped into my mind, putting me on edge. "What's wrong, Angel? What happened?"

"It all happened so fast! One second, Nudge and I were flying with some crows and then I heard them coming. Now, Iggy and Gazzy are trying to get ingredients for a bomb or something, and Fang and Nudge went ahead to fight them! I wanted to go too, but Fang told me to find you and Percy first, but now I found you and-"

Angel was nearly hyperventilating. I ran my fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down. "Shh, honey, it's okay. Take a deep breath and then tell me again, slowly."

Angel sucked a breath in, puffing out her cheeks. When she exhaled, her shaking stopped. Her blue eyes locked onto mine, wide with terror.

"The Erasers. They found us."

* * *

Annabeth

_**The last place I expected** to find myself in was the Underworld. Hades's obsidian palace stood dark and ominous only yards away, the tallest spires disappearing into the gray mist. Suddenly, I was twelve again and way over my head as I attempted to stop another civil war from breaking out amongst the Big Three._

_Then the intimidation_ _faded with the memory, and was replaced with confusion. Why was I in the Underworld? Last I checked, I was still alive, unless I'd fallen off Festus without my knowledge. But that wasn't right. My body was still fully corporal, unlike the shades of people who had passed away._

_"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Annabeth Chase."_

_Immediately on guard, I unsheathed my sword and spun around. My eyes widened at the sight that greeted me. Mushrooms of all colors sprouted in violet grass. Luminous ferns and poisonous scrubs were planted strategically to mimic famous beasts in the myths. Jewels glittered in the ground, as if to compensate for the lack of flowers. Statues of petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs were scattered around, faces frozen in terror. In the middle of it all was a large, sweeping pomegranate tree, blooming with orange blossoms and crimson fruit._

_Underneath the tree, a woman sat at a table for two. Her dark hair floated around her face like mist, and her eyes reflected the orange flowers in the tree. She wore a pale pastel dress that shifted colors, like a dragonfly's wing. A tiara adorned her head, a simple golden band with an onyx jewel in its center, marking her as the queen of the Underworld._

_I stepped forward, lowering my sword but not sheathing it. "Lady Persephone. Why am I here?"_

_"Sit, Annabeth." She motioned to the chair across from her. "We have a lot to talk about."_

_Instead of lashing out like instinct told me to do, I weighed by options. With the camp on lockdown and the gods not talking, this could be my only opportunity to receive answers. So, I sat._

_Persephone snapped a steaming pot of tea into existence before pouring it into a cup. As she took a sip, I fiddled with the sword in my lap. Impatience ate at me._

_"I'm dreaming," I finally said._

_Persephone raised an eyebrow, setting down her porcelain cup. "Of course you are. If I brought you to the Underworld, Hades would find out."_

_"And you don't want him knowing you're talking to me?"_

_"Hades is a snitch. He loves rules. He'd have a conniption if he found out I was talking to a demigod against Zeus's orders."_

_Her description of the king of the Underworld being a tattletale almost startled a laugh out of me. But it made sense, in a way. The Underworld was run on strict laws and regulations; someone had to be the one to put those in place. Plus, he had been the only god not to break the Big Three pact._

_"Why did you want to speak with me?" I asked._

_"I happen to like Percy Jackson. He's very brave, and I find that admirable in heroes. He's even gained my husband's_ _respect, which I didn't know was possible."_

_My heart stopped. I leaned into the table, my hands gripping the edge of it. "Do you know where he is? Can you find him?"_

_"I cannot. I'm not at full power until spring begins, so I haven't been able to locate the boy."_

_The small flame of hope in my chest blew out once again. "Why bring him up, then?" I tried to keep the frustration out of my voice but wasn't completely successful._

_Instead of answering, Persephone picked a blossom from the pomegranate tree. She twirled it between two fingers. "You know, most people believe that Hades forced me to eat the pomegranate seeds, but that's not how the story goes." She plucked a petal from the flower, examining it. "I begged him for a way to remain in the Underworld. I was only able to eat six seeds before Hecate stopped me. My only regret is that I hadn't eaten more of them."_

_"Why is this story relevant?" I frowned._

_Persephone sighed. She set the blossom down on the table before folding her hands in her lap. "Because of my failure, I am only allowed six months a year with my lover. Every time we are separated, I feel as if a part of me is missing. However, I continue with my responsibilities because I know, despite my suffering, we will be reunited at the end of the six months."_

_"If you are trying to imply that I just have to wait this out then-"_

_"That's exactly what I am saying, Annabeth."_

_"-you must really be disillusioned. Percy's been kidnapped by an unknown enemy and I have to get him back!" The glass table creaked under the strength of my grip._

_Persephone didn't flinch at my outburst. "I know firsthand how frustrating it is to be apart from your lover. But, have a little faith in him. Percy Jackson is one of the greatest heroes of this age. He can handle himself just fine."_

_I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. How could I explain to an immortal goddess how fragile a life could be? That despite Percy's power, he wasn't indestructible anymore? "I have faith in Percy's abilities, but even the strongest building can crumble when hit in the right spot."_

_"Your boyfriend isn't dead, or close to death. I'm the queen of the Underworld, child, I would know."_

_"That doesn't mean that he doesn't need help! It's my fault for letting him get kidnapped, and now it's my responsibility to get him back." Angrily, I stood up, toppling my chair._

_"Your responsibility is with the half-blood camp. One of its leaders is gone, and now you've taken them both."_

_"Nico can-"_

_"Even if my stepson was capable of leading a camp, he has a different responsibility to handle."_

_That peaked my interest. "What are you talking about? What's Nico's duty?"_

_The goddess's lips formed a thin line. "Don't shift the topic, girl. I came here to offer you advice: stop looking for Percy Jackson."_

_I lifted my chin. "And if I don't?"_

_Persephone's orange blossom eyes flashed a deep pomegranate red. "Patience is a virtue, Annabeth Chase. I urge to to return home and wait for your lover's return. If you continue your fruitless search and ignore your responsibilities, then the Fates won't be very kind."_

_I grabbed my Drakon bone sword and pushed away from the table. "Thank you, Lady Persephone, for your advice. However, I will continue searching for Percy until I find him and bring him home."_

_"Continue heading west then, demigod. Beware what awaits you there." Persephone's eyes were filled with frustration, but underneath was pity. She picked the flower off of the table. "Take this with you. I've connected it to Percy Jackson's life force. As he gets closer to death, the flower will lose its petals."_

_The petal she had plucked was still gone, but other than that, the flower appeared in perfect health. I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat before taking the blossom from Persephone._

_As soon as my fingers touched the soft petals, the ground devoured me whole._

I woke up gasping with the phantom feeling of dirt clogging my throat. My sword was in its scabbard, but a delicate orange blossom with one missing petal laid on the grass next to me.

Blinking back tears, I cupped the small flower in both hands, bringing it closer to my face to examine it. Its color matched Camp Half-Blood's shirt, and from this close, I could see the edges of the petals wilt ever so slightly. I stroked one of the petals with a thumb, careful not to break it.

"Careful, Annabeth. Looking at that flower like that, Percy might get jealous."

The voice caused my hand to jerk, but thankfully didn't hurt the blossom. Leo sat a few yards away, poking at a small firepit with his bare hands. The flames didn't hurt him, of course, but it was always a strange sight to see someone with their hand in a fire and not screaming.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "How long have you been on watch?"

"Not long. I took over for Jason around three, and it's only been about twenty minutes." Leo nodded over to his left - my right - where Piper and Jason slept against a tree with a blanket across both their laps.

"I can take over now," I told him. "You should sleep."

"No, it's fine. I'm too wired to sleep anyway." He was still fiddling with the fire, and this time I realized it was simply for him to do something with his hands. Sitting on a dragon all day was never fun, but with Leo's extreme ADHD it must have been torture. "Feel free to join me, though. Watch is boring."

I accepted his offer, sitting beside him. Now that I was next to the fire, I realized how cold I had been. Although we were too far south for there to be snow, the winter chill was still present. I rubbed my arms to get the blood circulating faster.

"It would be more convenient if that bird didn't have to stop all night, or fly so slowly. If it was just Festus flying, we would've been to Phoenix by now," I muttered.

"Well, sadly, the phoenix isn't an automaton, so it needs sleep to survive. Plus, it's still a baby. I wouldn't expect it to fly at record-breaking speeds."

I rolled my eyes, then felt bad for aiming my irritation at Leo when he'd done nothing wrong. "Sorry for complaining, I'm just… frustrated."

"Believe me, sister, I understand," Leo said. "Slow isn't really my thing either, especially when one of my friends is at stake here. But I'd rather go slow than be lead astray by some deceiver guy, you know?"

I nodded, staring into the flickering flames. Unlike the fire at camp, this one didn't change color with people's moods. If it could, it would probably be a dark navy.

"So," Leo interrupted my thoughts. "I didn't take you for a flower person. How'd you find that during winter?"

I'd almost forgotten about the pomegranate blossom. It suddenly weighed a thousand pounds in my hand. "Persephone gave it to me. She wanted to give me a message."

"What's the message?"

"She wants me to stop looking for Percy."

The fire sputtered for a second before flaring back to its original height. "And why would the queen of the Underworld care about us searching for Percy?"

I gritted my teeth, a fresh wave of anger surfacing in my gut. "She thinks that Percy is going to save himself, and that I should just go back to camp to wait for him to return."

Leo snorted. "Persephone must not get out much if she still has that 'when will my husband return from the war' mentality."

I smiled at Leo's comment. "Exactly. We can't just stand idle when Percy needs us."

"I'm totally with you. Percy may be badass, but even he needs help when crazy psychopaths kidnap him." Leo shoved his hands in his pockets, probably to start fiddling with more trinkets hidden in there. "I don't see what a flower has to do with that, though."

I turned the blossom over in my hand. Its petals were the same color as the fire. "It's tied to Percy's life force. Every time a petal falls, it means he's closer to death."

"This is good, then," Leo said. "Now we know for sure that Percy hasn't kicked the bucket. And whoever is keeping him isn't, like, torturing him or something."

"True." I frowned. "But, it does make me wonder what they want him for, if not to hurt him."

"Wow, Annabeth. Morbid much?"

I bit my lip. "Not morbid - realistic. Percy has made a lot of enemies who want him hurt or dead. If that isn't what his kidnappers want, then what is their goal?"

"He's the only son of Poseidon," Leo offered. "Maybe they want his Aquaman powers for something."

Dread pooled in my stomach. Percy's powers were a dangerous thing. If someone else could get their hands on them, control them somehow… I knew firsthand just how powerful Percy could be without barriers. If someone figured out everything Percy could do…

"You look like you just witnessed the apocalypse, Annabeth. What's up?"

"Ever since Tartarus…" I started. "Percy hasn't been the best at controlling his powers."

Leo raised his eyebrows like that was old news. "Yeah, I got that when he nearly drowned the camp. Twice."

"It's not really his fault. I think that after Tartarus, his powers have been increasing."

"Increasing, how?"

"The first time he created an earthquake, it nearly killed him. Now he does it in his sleep."

"That's a… valid point."

"And he-he…" Gods, I couldn't say it. Saying it made it real, a concrete thing that existed in someplace other than my worst nightmares. "...what if he could control more than just water?"

"What?" Leo looked a strange mixture of horrified, awestruck, and curious.

"It's just a theory! Obviously. But, what if, you know?"

Leo patted my shoulder, trying for comfort but falling short. "I doubt it. If he could, then I don't think he'd bother to walk over to his coke when he could make it float right into his mouth."

I let out a breath. "You're probably right, Leo."

"Can you say that again? I didn't hear you."

Throwing him a bland look, I shoved him right into the fire.

"Okay, fine. I deserved that." Leo laughed, patting the flames off his clothes like he would dust. "But in all seriousness, Percy is going to be fine. You have three of the best demigods around on your side - plus Jason. We'll save your damsel in distress, then you'll ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. I guarantee it!"

In the dancing shadows of the fire, a single orange petal drifted into the wind.

* * *

**A/N: I took so long writing this. I literally wrote this last night after procrastinating...six months? Whoops. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter at least?**


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